Answer Key
by Synxailla
Summary: Not all the answers to life's questions can be learned inside the four walls of a classroom in a university… Then again, it was very near a classroom that Alfred met the very interesting Arthur Kirkland, so he won't complain. College life AU. US/UK
1. Prolouge

Author's note: Hello, welcome to the beginning of my first APH fanfiction. As said in the summary, it's college life AU. I'm not really absolutely familiar with the westerners' system of education but I'll try my best to keep academic related things not too stupid-sounding. Also, I think it's just fair to warn you that updates may get slow.

Disclaimer: I do not own Axis Powers Hetalia, credit goes to the genius Himaruya Hidekazu and, using Prussia's awesome words, "those annoying anime staff", without them, life would rock less and suck more.

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Answer Key

By Synxailla

Prologue

_Just because it doesn't happen often, doesn't mean it doesn't happen at all. And when something unusual happens, something interesting usually begins.

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_

Alfred sat on his seat, playing idly with his favorite mechanical pencil by twirling it between his fingers. HIs eyes were drooping to a half-lidded gaze aimed at the blank white board up front of the classroom.

He would've heaved a heavy sigh of weariness, if he wasn't too tiredly bored to exert any effort besides those that kept up his habitual pen-twirling and prevented his eyelids from drifting completely close. It won't do to start his first class of the semester by sleeping it away. What would he have left to do in his History 201 class?

The other students inside the room all seemed to be unaffected by whatever virus Alfred caught to make him bored out of his mind. They were all excitable and chatting non-stop with their fellow students...sans Alfred, for he was emitting vibes that warded away anyone from coming near and striking a conversation… He was practically wearing a sign that said _"Not interested, busy being bored, go away" _around his neck for all his body language was suggesting.

He knew nobody in this class anyway. He was taking this course-subject with a block section, so he's pretty much a stranger to these people who have almost every class together, thus no one went out of their way talk to him. They were much too busy trying to catch up with one another since the regular semester just started, with the summer classes ending less than two weeks ago.

Alfred knew when exactly summer classes ended because obviously, unlike most of the people in the room who acted as if they hadn't seen each other in two months, he had summer classes and stayed at the dorms even during the two week classes-free time. It was definitely much better than going home…

Anywhere but there…

Alfred wondered if it wasn't too late to try and talk to the university office about transferring to another class. If he had known this time slot was occupied by a block section then he would never have enrolled himself in here.

He doesn't like being part of a block section, and he wasn't fond of being shoved into a block section he wasn't part of for that matter. He prefers being free of sections and going from one class to another not being bored by seeing the same faces over and over in each and every class. He gets bored with dull routines easily.

He decided to just block out the irritating noise from his _classmates_ and continue on with minding his own business, namely, twirling his mechanical pencil and staring up front with half-lidded eyes… when he suddenly heard the bunch of girls to his near right go "AWW!" so loud, it was a step down from being irritating, to being very, very annoying.

"That's so sweet!" squealed one of the annoying bitc—erm, girls, annoying girls. "So Professor Anders finally worked up the courage to ask Professor Lyon to marry him?"

"Yes! My parents got invites to their wedding two days ago. My mom and Professor Lyon were apparently batch-mates, and they were close back then, if all the crocodile tears and fancy catch-up talk was anything to go by." Another girl answered.

Alfred felt one of his eyebrows arch up. So the stuffy Math professors who obviously had a thing for each other but were trying so hard to pretend to be nothing but "professional colleagues" got hitched… He never felt more proud about being the one who locked them up in that broom closet last summer.

He found himself tuned-in to the girls' conversation…

"It's no wonder they took their leave and resigned. They must have wanted time for their selves after the wedding and to start fresh on their married life."

"What? They actually went as far as resign from the university?"

"That's what I heard too," another girl spoke up, putting her two cents in, "And they say that the Head Dean encountered troubles finding replacements for them since they quit so close to the opening of regular semester."

Whoops… Maybe Alfred should've set them up on a date instead, so they could've taken things a little slower. He didn't think those two would hit it right off the bat—okay, maybe he did. It looked like the repressed sexual tension between the two professors climbed too high for them to ignore it any further… But still, resigning out of the blue and leaving multiple classes behind without Math professors was going a little bit overboard.

"Yeah, and do you know what I heard from my roommate about that?" one of the girls asked, her tone sounding like a sly tease.

A loud chorus of excited "WHAT?"s met her question. Her tone seemed to have gotten more self pleased at reaction her gossiping buddies gave.

"Well, she said that she's heard from her ex who's a lab assistant in Physics, that he's heard from the technicians working on that weekly breaking down air conditioner talking to each other about from when they were fixing the broken microwave in the professors' lounge where they heard three professors talking about welcoming a new colleague. Take note of the article "a" meaning there's only _one_ new professor who's coming to take over Mr. and Mrs. Ander's works."

The surrounding girls all let out gasps and exaggerated noises of disbelief.

Alfred himself was a bit surprised… Equally of both the way the girl who told the story seemed as if she did so in one breath so quickly, and of the news that it contained, which she seemed so very sure of despite it not being first hand news… nor second, nor third.

"Then that would mean that the new professor would be teaching freshmen and us sophomores." Another girl mused.

"That's a lot of work." Came the reply of another girl.

Alfred silently agreed.

After that, the gossiping girls continued on with their talking and Alfred lost interest in listening further, and settled instead to entertain himself with his own thoughts. Don't laugh, he can too, use his own thoughts to settle down and entertain himself! Just because it doesn't happen often, doesn't mean it doesn't happen at all.

_So the new professor is a workaholic, willingly taking up the mountain of work left by two people._ Alfred thought to himself.

This time, he did heave a sigh. If the new professor turned out to be an even more of a bore than Ms. Lyon, he's going to endure a whole semester of boring math classes… Either that, or maybe he'd drop out of this class altogether. Not having been with these classmates certainly won't have been a big loss.

His blue eyes, framed by his glasses, drifted up to glance at the clock that hung above the board. It was ten past the time this class was supposed to start. It looked like the new professor was running late… He decided to take that as a good sign. A totally boring workaholic wouldn't have risked being late on the first day of class, right?

Normally, if a professor didn't show up fifteen minutes into class time, the students take off, automatically assuming that the professor wouldn't come at all… and most of the time, they don't. And since it was the first day of class for the regular semester, morning classes were cut to give way to faculty meetings as was the university's tradition. It wasn't strange for some professors to extend the suspension of classes. Maybe the new professor was one of them, having many things to sort and take care of that he (or she) had to miss class.

Five minutes worth of pen twirling later found Alfred standing up from his seat and walking over to the front door of the classroom. He'd had enough of waiting in this boring room for that new professor who didn't seem too keen on showing up to start classes. He had better things to do than sit idly and collect dust. Maybe he should visit the library to see if that hot librarian with enormous frontal assets was on duty this afternoon.

As he reached the front door, he grabbed the knob, turned it, stepped out of the room and closed the door firmly behind him. As soon as he was out of the room and into the corridor, he turned and started walking towards the main entrance of the building. Maybe he'll get off campus altogether and not bother going to any of his classes today, wouldn't hurt since he can catch up with lectures easily anyway.

With his new resolve formulated in mind, he picked up the pace of his little stroll. He was about to turn the corner when he met a blur; another person who seemed much, much more in a hurry than he was collided with him… and of course, they both stumbled down to the floor.

"Ouch" he muttered, his back ached and so did his shoulder which smashed into some part of the other person sprawled on the floor.

Speaking of the other person, Alfred recovered enough to slowly climb back onto his feet and get a better look at the blur he just ran into.

The other person was clutching his forehead, and Alfred figured it must be that which bumped hard with his shoulder. The upper half of his face was covered by the hand that clutched and gently massaged his temple, maybe in hopes of preventing any bump from showing. He had short blond hair, a lighter shade than his, which looked well kept, yet refused to stay totally tame. He looked shorter than Alfred, and of lighter build too. Maybe he was another student of the class he just left and was hurrying because he thought he was late? He was dressed a bit too formally to be a student though, what would normally be a jeans and shirt and jacket ensemble was replaced by khaki slacks, ironed button up long sleeved blue shirt, and…a red tie?. Well, there were those rich kids who thought it was fun to dress-up.

The other blond also had a brown messenger bag slung over his shoulder, this reminded Alfred that his own back pack wasn't over his own shoulder where he left it. He looked down and glanced around for a bit before spotting the blue bag near the foot of the still sprawled figure. He crouched down and reached for it, deciding to hold out a hand for the other person as well.

"Hey, are you okay there man?" he asked as he offered up his hand "Do you need to go to the clinic or something?"

The other person grumbled under his breath words that were most probably profanities if his tone of voice was anything to judge by. Among them, Alfred was able to make out something that sounded like "Ow", a hiss, "stupid frog" (?), and "bloody hell"… So the guy was British, go figure.

"You shouldn't run in the corridors you know. We're supposed to have learned that way back in elementary school" he said in a light teasing tone with a chuckle. When he received no reply from the other, he became a little worried, "Are you okay? You didn't break anything?" he asked again, his hand still held out and waiting to be able to help.

Finally, the other blond stopped his muttering and removed his hand from his forehead to glance at Alfred's hand in front of him. The first thing he noticed about the guy's face was his eyebrows, which were very eye-catching and thicker than anybody else's he'd seen before. The second thing he noticed was that, with a grumpy, ruffled and a bit of flushed look taking over his face, the guy was funnily enough, kind of cute. The third thing he noticed, as the guy's eyes traveled up from looking at his offered hand to look up at Alfred's face, strangely left him feeling breathless.

As the person looked up, Alfred was met with the most green, most clear, and most beautiful eyes that hit him with a feeling somewhat like nostalgia. He felt a tug in his chest as he held the gaze of those emerald orbs. He barely even noticed as the other grabbed his offered hand to pull himself up, but somehow he was vividly aware of the feeling of the other's hand in his own.

He watched with a kind of eerie detached interest as the other dusted off his clothes and run his hands through them, attempting to straighten out some wrinkles it got when they crashed into each other and fell. As Alfred thought, he was taller than the other and…Was it normal to have such nice-looking graceful hands for a guy?

Alfred could tell there was something wrong with him. His brain felt all muddled up and his mind seemed blurred around the edges. He couldn't think straight. Heck, he felt he couldn't think at all… Did he hit his head too but didn't notice?

He snapped out of his stupor when he realized the guy in front of him was more than just opening and closing his mouth in random intervals. He was in fact, talking to him… and Alfred didn't catch a single word that was said.

"Sorry, I spaced out. Come again?"

The person he knocked over frowned, no, more like scowled but his face was so cute it looked more like a pout. The guy's posture also tensed up, fist clenching as if trying very hard to hold himself back on using them, and eyebrows crossing together leaving creases in between them… Was it that bothersome for him to repeat himself?

"I said," the shorter blond began slowly, Alfred heard him this time, yet he was more focused on how good the other's voice sounded and how nice his accent was than what he was actually saying. He shook his head roughly to clear it, and smiled sheepishly at the other blond when clear green eyes gave him a skeptical look. The other cleared his throat before speaking again.

"I said I apologize for running blindly into you like that. My mind was elsewhere during the time. You're not badly hurt I hope?" he finished the last part sounding concerned.

Wow, that was very…polite. For some unknown reason, Alfred was expecting flailing arms, glares of daggers, and raised voices thrown at him. That was weird; his awesome instinct isn't known to fail. (Never mind that instinct has no basis). But it was nice that this guy seemed worried about his well-being… very nice.

"Nah, don't sweat it!" he replied, feeling in a better mood than when he was inside that boring classroom "I'm not injured or anything, I think… Hey, what about you? You hit your head right?"

Before he was aware he was even doing it, Alfred found his hand reaching out to touch the shorter blond's head. The man stepped away to dodge him, and it seemed totally ridiculous to have felt a pang of hurt at that… but he did.

"I'm quite fine, thank you for your concern." The green-eyed man said to him.

"T-that's good!" Alfred replied, retracting his hand and forcing on a smile. He racked his brain to find ways to change topics. "Uh, why were you running in the first place anyway?"

"Oh that… Well, I'm sort of late for class and it's my―"

"You mean Math 108 section S-3?" Alfred asked, not at all aware that he interrupted the other while talking.

Green eyes lit up with recognition and the Briton nodded his head once, "Yes that would be my class."

Alfred's smile widened. If this guy was part of that class too, then it might turn out not too much of a bore after all. He seemed interesting enough. There was just something about the shorter guy that was so, so… endearing. It'd be great if Alfred could make friends with him.

"Then you're all clear! Class hasn't begun yet." Alfred declared, and green eyes looked at him wondering.

"Of course it hasn't, that would be because I―"

"Professor hasn't showed up yet," Alfred interjected, yet again cutting the other mid-sentence, and yet again looking like he didn't know he did it. (which he probably didn't) "I was just there, but I took off since the class didn't seem like it would start anytime soon."

"Well, if you'd just go back to the classroom, class would begin shortly."

"I doubt it." Alfred said in a bored manner.

"Excuse me?"

"The professor's been late long enough to pass the message that he doesn't plan coming at all. I heard he's this new workaholic, last minute replacement professor. If you ask me, I'm glad he skipped the first day of class."

"_Excuse me?_" they were the same words, but Alfred failed to read the different atmosphere they were said in.

"That way, he'll have more time to settle in and we'll have more free time before boring Math classes start." Alfred explained happily "A win-win situation right?"

"Listen, Mister…?" his voice sounded strained, and his left eyebrow was having a tick that Alfred took a while to realize the other guy indirectly asked for his name.

"Oh, it's Alfred!" he said brightly "my name's Alfred F. Jones."

"Listen Mister Jones," the shorter blond started, but before he could finish, Alfred interrupted once again.

"Just call me Alfred, really, I don't mind."

"Listen. Mister. _Jones._" Each word, especially his last name was punctuated with a step forward. Pretty soon the guy was less than a foot in front of him and was looking up at him with a glare.

Okay, so the guy was insisting, Alfred felt like he should let him have his way, after they became proper friends they'll be beyond all that polite stuff anyway. "Uh, yes I'm listening."

"The way I am currently seeing things, you have two choices" the man leaned up and said in a low hiss "either you carry on your merry way of cutting classes…or you haul yourself back into the room you just left so you can attend class." His green eyes were alight and so unwavering that Alfred couldn't look away "But whichever one you choose, you're going to have to step out of my way, savvy?"

Without waiting for a response from Alfred, the British man walked briskly past him toward the front door of the classroom. He placed one graceful hand on the door knob but before he opened the door, he turned and looked back to the stunned American. He gave a satisfied smirk at Alfred's wide eyed look.

"But do let me tell you just one more thing Mister Jones," he said as he flashed his smug smile "Professor Arthur Kirkland isn't fond of class cutters."

With that, he turned the knob, opened the door, stepped inside the noisy classroom and let the door fall back close.

Alfred was left outside. He blinked once, twice, a hundred things racing through his mind…

_That_, was the new professor? He looked so young, are looks that deceiving?

_He_ was to be Alfred's Math professor for this class?

The one he just _knocked down_ to the floor?

And Alfred just talked to him like―like _that_?...

_Yes_, his brain answered, _to all of the above_…

As soon as his mind placed all the facts straight, Alfred felt a smile creep its way on his face… His feet started walking back towards the door he exited a few minutes ago. He reached out for the doorknob with a new found determination and reason. He turned it and stepped inside once more, eyes automatically searching and focusing on Arthur as the professor stood on the platform in front of the class…

Nope, this class definitely wasn't too much of a bore after all… It may just prove to be quite the opposite.

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tbc

Xai's Corner: well, there you have it, the prologue is up. Thank you so much for reading… What do you think? Total fail? Passable? Please drop a review. ^_^

Time check: 2:31 am. Meh, some people are morning persons, some people like to party at night. Apparently I belong somewhere in between.

*Edited- I fixed some errors I found. I feel happier now.

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Next Chapter: _There's always something to be said about first impressions… I'll tell you as soon as I remember._


	2. First Impressions

Author's note: Well shucks, I would like to start off by giving a BIG THANK YOU to those who reviewed for the prologue! I was overwhelmed by the amount of positive response this baby received. I was worried most people would find the theme cliché… I would also like to thank those who placed this story on alert, especially to those who listed Answer Key with their favorites, you awesome people humble me. And of course, thank you to all those who've taken time to read the prologue…

I still have no grasp on when the next chapter would be up, but this one's pretty long so I hope to make up for it. (plus it has Gilbert, haha!)

Warnings: This chapter may have a cuss word or two in it, courtesy of Arthur. There will also be some foreign language included in the chapter, worry not though; the translations are down below _Xai's corner_. And this chapter is a bit long, so I hope you don't get long winded. And also, this is being posted without proper proof-reading, so you can expect errors.

*Edited 10/31/10, though I am sure there are still a lot of errors here. Meh… I only hope this doesn't make people cringe as much.

Disclaimer: standard disclaimers apply.

Answer Key

By Synxailla

Chapter One "First Impressions"

_There's always something to be said about first impressions… I'll tell you as soon as I remember._

He didn't know how long he'd been standing in front of the double oak-wood doors, he was far too busy trying (and failing) to calm his nerves to keep track of the time that ticked by… His palms were starting to feel clammy and he berated himself for acting like a kid; too afraid to take the next step into entering the biggest thing ever to occur in his academic life.

He might not have been keeping track of time, but the voice in his head shouted that it would not do him very good if he delayed any further. And so he hastily wiped his hand on his trousers, formed a fist and poised it over to knock on the fancy looking doors.

"Come in." a voice called from the other side of the door as soon as his knuckles rapped the wood.

Arthur breathed in, and slowly let it out. Well… that was as close to being prepared as he was going to get, might as well move things along. He grabbed hold of one of the bronze knobs of the door and opened it.

Upon stepping inside the room, Arthur's eyes briefly scanned the impressive interior designs and decorations which gave a feeling of baroque-esque and classic elegance to the pretty spacious office. It was a pity his nerves wouldn't allow him to properly appreciate them at the time.

"Ah, welcome Arthur!" The same voice greeted.

He turned and saw a man with auburn hair and brown-amber eyes from his Italian genetic heritage with a definitely masculine, but cordial and cheerful face, standing up from an executive chair behind a large polished mahogany table. A nameplate with the words "Julius Vargas, Head Dean" written in bold, golden letters was placed on top of it. Arthur tried his best to return the smile as he walked over to the table.

"Good morning Professor Vargas" Arthur greeted; absolutely relieved his voice didn't stutter. "I'm sorry if you've been waiting long."

"No need to be so formal Arthur! ...ah, I believe that would be _Professor Kirkland_ now huh?" he the older man said with a laugh and finished off with a wink, "sit down, please." The man gestured to one of the two chairs placed opposite the table and Arthur did as asked. "So, I hope it wasn't too much trouble taking a cab here from your hotel, Professor Kirkland?"

Arthur couldn't help but flush at being addressed as such. He still found it hard to believe he'd been offered a teaching job here, even if he did sort of have connections with the Head Dean, if being the said Dean's former student could be considered a connection.

"No sir, it was no trouble at all." Arthur managed to answer.

"Good, I was worried you'd encounter something unpleasant, hit your head, and retract from the job completely." The man replied with humor, but Arthur failed to see it as a complete joke.

"Of course not sir! This is practically the best offer in the teaching field I've had."

"Oh?" the man asked with a trace of his ever present smile. "Well then, I thank you for accepting our offer and for that great outlook you have towards it. Honestly, I don't know how we could've managed opening this semester smoothly if it wasn't for you."

"Please Professor. I am the one who need to thank you and the administration for even considering me for the job, even if I have no previous experience teaching at tertiary education level." Arthur replied, genuinely humbled.

Before this Arthur was teaching middle school kids in his former school. The kids were fun and sweet and all, but he can't deny that going from there to here was a big, and he meant_big_ advancement for someone with his total (lack of) experience with handling college-level teachings.

"Let's have none of that Arthur," the Head Dean replied in a playful scolding tone "You know well enough that you're very much qualified to teach students here. You've finished your master's degree faster than most anyone can and I happen to know first-hand how hard of a worker, fast of a learner and smart you are." Amber eyes looked at him sincerely. "So this is your first time teaching college kids! Pfft! You can handle it like how my grandkids make pastas and bake pizzas!"

It wasn't the first time Arthur wondered how his former professor can both look serious and sound totally otherwise at the same time.

"Thank you sir." Arthur was touched…even if he couldn't quite figure out what the Head Dean's grandchildren and pastas and pizzas had to do with anything. "This really is too much than I could ask for."

"It's not too much. I'll tell you what's too much Arthur," the man said, it seemed he was on a roll "It's flying all the way across the Atlantic on such short notice after accepting such an abrupt offer from your old professor who's having trouble with faculty shortage, and not complaining about taking over the work of two professors… You're nothing short of heaven sent Arthur."

"…Well I don't know about being heaven sent, but I'll try my best."Arthur mumbled with a silly sheepish, yet pleased smile.

He couldn't help reacting as such when the Italian put it like that; showered Arthur with thanks, praises, and flattery… of course he would feel overwhelmed and speechless. The man used to be one of Arthur's mentors, and praises from his mentors often made him feel a bit cocky on the giddy side.

"Well Professor Kirkland, I think it's time we get start talking business" a brown manila envelope was then brought forward and Arthur took it from the older man "Inside you'll find your ID card, your official papers, both university related and those you might need with airport matters and such. You'll also find the schedule of the classes you'll be teaching inside there and the list of enrolled students in each class. As you know you'll be in charge of freshmen and sophomores mostly, unless higher year students haven't taken up some of the earlier Math subjects and decide to enroll in your classes."

As Arthur took a peek inside the envelope, he found all the things Julius mentioned accounted for. He sifted through the contents, passing his class schedules because he took the liberty of asking ahead for an email containing it; he already had it memorized by the time his plane taxied. A little shiny card caught his eye.

He took out his ID card to examine it. Sure enough, his picture (which he had to send via email to the Head Dean so as to arrange things before he arrived) looked back at him, positioned right beside the University seal of a shield behind crossed swords with an open book displayed in front and the Italian words _"Preparazione è la chiave alla conquista"_ written on the lowest part of the card. It was the University motto, if Arthur wasn't mistaken it translated to "Preparation is the key to conquest".

The longer he looked at his official ID card, the more the current situation seemed less like a dream and more like reality. To think he'd been invited to come to America to teach in a fairly well-known university just a week ago. And just a day ago, he's flight landed its destination. And now, here he is, talking to the top dog of the management, about to embark on his first day…

Everything was happening so fast, it was hard to keep convincing himself it was really happening. But as he held the little laminated card that identified him as a faculty member of the university, he felt like he was holding proof that it wasn't all just some make-believe, he could safely assure himself that all of this was real.

"You are aware that today is the start of semester right?" the Head Dean asked, and Arthur stopped admiring his ID card to pay attention to the question.

"Yes sir." he answered promptly "There will be afternoon classes if I'm not mistaken?"

"And of course you are not," the man said, smiling kindly, proudly at him, "but it will be perfectly understandable if you plan to wait until tomorrow before you start working. You can take time to yourself first to get used to the air around here." Julius said, gesturing with his hand vaguely around.

"That wouldn't be necessary Professor," Arthur replied, trying to be polite at brushing the offer away. "I'm here now, so I might as well do my job. Besides, what better time to start than the present?" He said to the Italian.

The Head Dean looked at Arthur in assessment before his face broke into a smile. Arthur smiled back.

"You never change Arthur Kirkland." A familiar grating voice suddenly said from behind him, stunning Arthur briefly.

Arthur turned his head and was met by the form of one of his least-favorite people in the world, (his brothers included, but they're in a whole other league completely) lazily leaning against the wall next to the double doors. His green eyes narrowed by habit as the other looked back at him with a condescending sort of smile. The man leaning on the wall had wavy blond hair with the tips brushing his shoulders, blue eyes that seemed to Arthur were permanently stuck in an ostentatious stare, and unnecessary facial hair littering his haughty face.

He didn't even hear the other come in, rude of him to just pop in unexpected. Thankfully, Arthur's ecstatic mood couldn't have been dampened by anything right at the time…not too much at least.

"I don't, do I?" Arthur replied, his voice may or may not have sounded patronizing. "Which doesn't seem to be something I can throw back at you… You're listening in on others' conversations uninvited now, you've changed Bonnefoy, whether it's a step up or down I'm just not really sure."

"Ah, see there, you're still the same… Still fond of wounding me, right here." At that, the man gestured rather flamboyantly with his hand to his chest, Arthur had to roll his eyes. "But you're getting less accurate _mon ami_. I was invited to come here, contrary to what you presumed." Arthur felt his eyebrows climb up his head as the new arrival of the room pushed away from the wall and sauntered over to where he and the Head Dean was.

Arthur directed a questioning look at Julius, the man answered with a wide grin, wordlessly confirming the Frenchman's words... Great, he and his annoying senior were in the same room practically inches away from having a fight with their Professor standing oblivious to the side with a big smile plastered on his optimistic face… It was like college all over again.

"I thought that since you and Francis here already know each other from your college days, who better to show you the ropes, right?" Julius said with a smile, believing he had just done Arthur a favor.

"You shouldn't have Professor." _You __**really**__ shouldn't have_… "I don't need anyone to show me around. And I'm sure Professor Bonnefoy is a busy man."

"Nonsense Arthur, I can't just throw you to the wolves without someone to give you a bit of pep talk, no matter how much fun that would be!" Julius exclaimed. Arthur blinked at his former professor's words. "And since I can't be the one to give you that talk, I'm giving you the next best person who can." The Head Dean gestured to Francis Bonnefoy and the two of them shared a far too cheerful smile.

"And the morning faculty meeting just ended some odd minutes ago, so I'm free until afternoon classes start." Francis added "I'll be at your disposal until then, old friend." And he gave a grin that looked far less like one and more like a smirk.

The Frenchman then turned to Arthur and winked at him. Arthur had to remind himself not to throttle the slimy Frog and make a bad impression on his new boss at his first day on the job. It was made easier by not having to see the irritating face of his former senior so he opted to close his eyes and counted to ten slowly inside his head…

Unfortunately, he was stopped from going further than seven when Julius's voice boomed through and disrupted his attempt at achieving inner peace.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Arthur's eyes snapped open at the exclamation and he saw the Head Dean rummaging through one of the table's drawers. After some time, his hand emerged holding a fancy looking key, he held it out toward Arthur "It would've caused problems if you couldn't get inside your personal rooms. Your luggage had been safely delivered there last night."

Arthur reached for the key, examined and admired the intricate design it had briefly before pocketing it. He was going to stay in the university's dorms for staff and professors while he worked here since it would be easier than living out, also, because he wouldn't have to pay rent. He was told that many of the professors who worked here also took advantage of that offer, especially those that lived far and couldn't manage to commute everyday to get to work.

"You don't have to worry Arthur," the French spoke from behind his seat. "I'll be glad to welcome you in my room to stay the night if you ever get stupid enough to lose your key." Apparently, Francis Bonnefoy was also a resident of the professors' dorms.

_Oh joy._

"I'd rather sleep out in the hallway. I try my best to avoid breathing the same air as you as much as possible."

"And that's it. I've given you everything that's meant for you in my office. Unless you care for some gum drops, I believe we're done here." the Italian announced, not at all paying his former students' exchange of less than friendly words any heed. Arthur had to wonder how he missed the large transparent jar filled by colorful candy sitting on the man's desk before…

"Well then sir, I'll be taking my leave." Arthur replied with a smile getting up from his seat.

"It was nice seeing you again. I'm happy to have you with us Arthur," the man held out a hand and Arthur reached to shake it. "Oh, and Francis here will show you the way to the faculty room and your table." At that Arthur's shoulders slumped minutely. So much for hoping the boss had overseen it… he turned to eye the Frog.

"Monsieur Kirkland, if you would follow me?" the man said with exaggerated hand gestures and politeness. Arthur mentally sighed and resigned himself to his fate… He followed the other's lead and they walked across the room, back towards the double doors that provided the entrance and exit of the impressive office.

Francis opened the doors and gestured his open palm with flourish for Arthur to be the first of them to step out. Arthur rolled his eyes as he walked on. He was about to step out of the office but the Head Dean called out to him again.

"Oh, and Arthur?" came the inquiry. He turned and looked back at the Italian.

"Yes sir?" he asked, and the man gave a smile. Not too wide, not too happy…just with the right amount of being proud.

"Welcome to Alexander University Professor Arthur Kirkland."

And for a moment that seemed much too long to him, Arthur fell into surprised silence… When he finally got rid of the shock though, he replied with a rare soft smile on his face.

"Thank you sir." He gave a slow nod respectively along with his thanks before turning and walking out the door the French still held open for him.

"He believes in you." Francis said after he'd closed the doors to the office and took the lead again of their little walk.

Even if his back was to Arthur, the Briton knew that the French was in one of his rare civil moods, so he knew that the other was serious when he said what he just said. It wasn't a question, but Arthur felt that it's only proper to give an answer back.

"He does." He affirmed.

For a moment, the only sound that could be heard was of those made by their footsteps echoing upon the deserted halls. It was broken by the man walking in front.

"You won't disappoint him would you?" surprisingly, that question lacked any malice; it sounded genuinely like a regular question, curious over the answer.

"I never plan to." Arthur was never more certain of himself since he stepped into this place than he was when he answered that question.

―X―X―X―

"Professor Bonnefoy, why am I here?" Arthur asked. He was trying hard, very hard indeed to contain his irritation and not lose his calm.

"Oh _mon ami_, I thought you already went through this back at the Head Dean's office? You're here because you've been hired to teach Mathematics to college kids." Francis replied, crouching down to admire a pretty carnation attached to a bush.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it damn well, Frog!" Trying hard to keep calm was so very tiring; he was bound to have glitches here and there. "What I want to know is why you have led me out here to this place full of plant-life and not to the faculty room where I'm supposed to be!"

It was partly his own fault, Arthur realized, he'd been so lost in his internal thoughts and just followed the other blond blindly that he didn't even realize they were out of the building and onto the university grounds before the sweet scent of flowers and herbs hit him. Apparently, while he was busy with his own thoughts, Francis thought it appropriate to lead him out into a greenhouse full of grass, flowers, and…are those tomatoes?

"I was wondering when you'll call me out loud by that pet-name again." Francis said with a chuckle, Arthur bristled but before he could snap at the older man, Francis continued, "Don't worry your pretty little head off Arthur. We're just here to pick up someone before we continue to the faculty room."

"Oh? And where is this someone?" Arthur asked, crossing his arms over his chest and deciding to let pass that pet-name comment, they both know it nothing of the sort.

"He'll come out soon enough… It's past his siesta time anyway."

"Siesta?" Arthur blinked.

Suddenly, the sound of the grass shuffling under the weight of someone's footsteps sounded not too far from their right. Out of the lined potted plants of full-bloomed hydrangeas emerged a man with brown hair which looked somewhat curly, tanned skin, and green eyes of a different shade from Arthur's. He was wearing a yellow apron over his red shirt and black pants, holding a trowel in one hand, and a watering can in the other.

"That's not nice Francis," the tanned man said, a light scold coloring his voice "You should stop spreading rumors that all I do in this greenhouse is sleep, I think some of the students caught wind of it." His eyes shifted from the taller blond to the shorter one and his face showed a smile "Hello, you must be the new professor," he greeted as he walked over.

"Uh, yes I am." Arthur replied and tried to return the smile.

"Spread rumors? _Moi_?" Francis spoke, interrupting the other two "Of course not _mon cher_. I am above that… Oh, allow me to make introductions." He added almost like he forgot. But Arthur knew Francis was only shifting the subject.

Francis paused to try his hand at giving an innocent smile…he totally failed in Arthur's books. "Antonio, this is Arthur Kirkland, the new Mathematics professor from England. Professor Kirkland, this is Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, he is a Horticulture expert from Spain and teaches Agriculture as well as Botany."

"Nice to meet you Professor Kirkland," the man with the watering can said "I'd shake your hand but mine are a bit earthy as of the moment."

"A pleasure to meet you too, Professor Carriedo, and your hands are not as earthy as you claim they are." At that, Arthur took the watering can from the Spaniard's right hand with his left and shook the now free hand with his own right. It was only proper to shake hands during introductions after all, and showing proper manners is a must if you're to meet new acquaintances.

The brunet laughed softly at their joined hands "You're quite something aren't you? I can see why they chose you for the job, not just anyone can handle the work of two professors alone." He gave one last firm shake of their hands before he let go of Arthur's. "And I can see that you're 'not just anyone'."

"I'll do my best," Arthur replied, referring to work. "Hopefully I'll be able to meet everyone's expectations."

"You don't have to try too hard," Antonio said, "from what I can tell about you in the past two minutes since we've met, you can handle it easily." Arthur had to snort a smile at that.

"Why thank you."

"Welcome. And I'm sorry that Francis had to drag you all the way to this place. You must think that all the flora here is troublesome."

"Not at all…" he was actually fond of greenery and flowers, especially roses, they had a calming effect on him. "Then again, it would have been nice if he told me beforehand that we'll be having a detour." At that, Arthur shot Francis with a glare.

"_Je suis désolé_" Francis replied, not at all sounding apologetic "but you seemed thoroughly deep in thought that I refrained from disturbing you." Arthur's eyes narrowed further as Francis smile turned challenging.

"Ah well, I'll just put the equipment away then we'll be on our way" Antonio hurriedly announced, trying to prevent the tension from climbing. Arthur handed him back the watering can.

As the brunet started walking away towards the garden shed to the back of the greenhouse, he turned to call back "Francis, play nice _por favor_. I don't want the tomatoes to be ruined before they even ripen." Then he turned forward again and pretty soon he got inside the small storage room of garden supplies.

Arthur found himself assessing his thoughts about his newly met colleague. The man was honest, yet nice, and he had a sense of humor too… He was on first-name basis with the Frog and they seemed close. Could there be something between the two? Francis flirted with everything on two legs and Antonio seemed nice yet naive enough to fall from a bit of sweet talking.

Arthur turned to look at his former senior and found the man yet again admiring a flower; it was an iris this time. The Frenchman must've noticed eyes on him, because his eyes shifted from the white flower in front of him to glance at Arthur. He took one look at Arthur's face and a smile formed on his lips.

"You're mistaken." He said without missing a beat. Arthur's eyes widened minutely, and he quickly gathered himself.

"Oh? I'm mistaken about what?"

"Please Arthur, I know you well enough to be able to decode some of the looks that pass on your face." Francis said in a brushing manner "Besides, you can seem like an open book when your emotions gain free reign of you."

Arthur scowled at the latter part of the Frenchman's comment. As much as he would like to deny that, he knew he couldn't because it was a fact. How many times had he been so close to punching this man in front of him because his irritated emotions screamed for it? …But he was a professor now; he had to get a better hold of himself. He can't be making a fool out of himself in front of people here just because of his over demanding emotions.

"That doesn't answer my question." Arthur was proud his voice came even. Francis raised an eyebrow, probably not expecting Arthur not to make any violent reactions about his earlier comment. But he seemed willing to humor the Briton as well. For the moment anyway.

"You're mistaken about Antonio and me," he said easily enough. "And don't try to say that's not what you had in mind earlier. I know that look you have of feeling sorry for anyone who you think is involved romantically with me… But to save you from that expression, I am telling you now that he is already smitten by a little grouch who is as obsessed as him with tomatoes. I just happen to be good friends with him."

"Good friends."Arthur said, testing out the words… He didn't have one of those, but that was no excuse for the pang of envy he felt when Francis said that.

"Yes, we actually met when we were younger…" Francis began reminiscently but as he looked at Arthur he stopped "But, that is a story I don't want to bore you with for now… And it seems that Antonio is finally ready to join us."

Arthur turned and found the Spaniard, now apron free, jogging across the lawn towards him and Francis. In place of the trowel and watering can, his hands now held a briefcase and a blue folder. As he got close enough, he smiled and held the blue folder out for Arthur to take. The Briton did so with a slight crease in his brow.

"It's a handout from this morning's meeting." Antonio explained. "Nothing too important, just an outline of the university activities this semester, you could've found it listed in the university calendar. We just decided to save one for you because the handouts had compiled the list already and it has some memos from different departments as well."

"Thank you." Arthur said, the act was thoughtful and it touched him a bit. He tucked the folder inside his brown messenger bag slung over his shoulder, reminding himself to go through it later.

"Don't mention it, it was Francis' idea for you guys to drop by here and pick it up."

Hearing that surprised Arthur a bit…maybe Bonnefoy was asked by the Head Dean to be considerate to Arthur since the younger man was new at the university.

"Thanks" he said rather reluctantly to Francis. At the other man's instant flash of a self-satisfied grin, he almost regretted thanking him.

"Well _mes amis_, if we're all ready? We have a faculty room awaiting our presence." And Francis turned to the direction of the greenhouse's door with Arthur following him and Antonio lingering last to lock the entrance behind them.

A couple of minutes passed spent walking back inside the main building and going further in the structure. Some small talk was exchanged between Arthur and Antonio, with the Spaniard being the more talkative one and Arthur trying his best to reply appropriately… Finally, as the topic shifted from tomatoes to the economy, Francis turned to them and announced:

"We're nearly there." This gave Arthur the excuse to look away from the person he was having a conversation with and forward to the place they were nearing.

At the far end of the hallway was a double-leaf door. Unlike the double-doors of the Head Dean's office, this one wasn't made of wood completely. There were colorful stained glasses, like the ones Arthur have seen in churches, cut in a vertical uneven hexagon shape placed on the upper part of each door to act as windows. Above the door was a sign in bold silver letters attached to a black plate that read "_Stanza della Facoltà_" Arthur had to give an exasperated smile at the thought that even if the university was situated in America, it still had an amazing amount of Italian influence in it.

"Finally! Did you people know how long I had to stand here and wait?" a loud, irritated voice sounded from in front of them.

Arthur took off his eyes from up the sign above the door and noticed for the first time, a man standing beside the doors. He had pale skin, platinum blond hair that was near looking silver and red eyes. He had a scowl on his face and he looked like someone particularly upset because of prolonged boredom.

"Hello Gilbert." Francis and Antonio chorused together with simultaneous rolling of their eyes that the albino didn't seem to notice.

"You guys should be answering me with apologies while on your knees begging for my awesome merciful forgiveness." Gilbert said, and Arthur had trouble deciding whether it was a serious comment or a joke.

"Who told you to wait outside for us anyway Gilbert?" Antonio asked accusingly.

"Oh shut up Antonio. It's not fair that only you and Frenchie get to harass the newcomer." His red eyes shifted from Antonio, to Francis, before finally landing on Arthur. "Are you him?" he asked with eyes narrowed.

"Yes, the 'newcomer' would be me." Arthur answered, his voice sounding defiant.

He may have found the new resolve to control his temper and maintain professional politeness with people in this new place, but that doesn't mean he'll stand by quietly when someone who freely expressed their intentions to _harass him_ just asked if he was who they thought he was.

"You look a bit short to be a professor, don't you think?" the man called Gilbert said, stepping closer and eyeing Arthur from head to toe.

Did this guy just insult his height? Arthur felt a vein start throbbing on his forehead. He had to struggle internally to reel in his temper. It won't do to give a bad impression to someone you're just about to meet. There's always something to be said about first impressions.

"I believe height has no factor in being a competent professor."

"You sure talk big though… And I heard you're a total newbie too, yet you willingly replaced _two _professors."

"Yes I did." Arthur answered back, he was sure his tone of voice implied the unsaid 'so what?'.

"Do you think you can handle such a big load for your first time teaching at college level?" the Albino asked, it looked like the red-eyed man wasn't too fond of subtlety, he seemed to prefer frontal charge attacks and does not beat around the bush.

"There's a first time for everything, and if you're taking the first step, it's better to take it in stride."

"Hmm… You really think you can do this thing huh?" the red-eyed man asked as if he was being sardonic, and Arthur finally had enough.

"I don't just think I can, I _know _I can." He said firmly "What about you, don't you think you're asking a lot of questions to someone whom you have yet to introduce yourself?" he snapped back.

Red eyes bore into green in a locked battle of narrowed stares bordering on murdering glares. Arthur refused to back down. Just because he was new here doesn't imply that he'll be a pushover and allow random people in the university to _harass _him.

Suddenly, narrowed red eyes closed to a smile as the other contender of the staring contest suddenly started laughing hard. Arthur got confused and looked to the other two professors with them, seeking any kind of clarification… but he was let down when he saw Antonio and Francis were both laughing as well.

"Haha! You're something else!" Gilbert said wiping the side of his eyes of moisture that gathered there because of how hard he was laughing. Arthur was suddenly thumped by the taller man in the back twice hard. He had to gather strength to his legs to keep standing straight. "I like this man's guts!" he announced to Antonio and Francis.

"What is going on here?" Arthur finally asked when all the others kept laughing.

"You just passed with flying colors!" Gilbert exclaimed, as if that explained everything.

Arthur stood there looking dumbfounded as the other three professors continued laughing their hearts out.

"Sorry Arthur, but it seems Gilbert couldn't resist 'testing' to see if you had enough 'awesome' to be a professor here." Antonio said, managing to contain his laughter to small chuckles now.

"And I do believe you measured up to his standards," Francis added as he gave one last chuckle "Didn't he, Gilbert?"

"I just said that he passed with flying colors didn't I?" Gilbert replied, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. He turned to Arthur and stuck out his right hand. "Welcome aboard! I'm Gilbert Beilschmidt." And Arthur thought he could overlook that little stunt this man pulled of earlier since he was offering to make peace now…sort of.

"It's a... pleasure meeting you," Arthur replied as he shook the other's hand "my name's Arthur Kirkland."

"Gilbert is a professor here like us." Antonio said.

"He teaches Web Development, Physical Education, and World History." Francis explained further.

"That's a lot of subjects to be teaching." Arthur mused aloud.

"They are not even interrelated." "Yeah well that's just how I roll," Gilbert said, giving a proud smile "I'm jack of all trades and master of many."

"Don't think he's all that great Arthur," Antonio said to him, interrupting Gilbert's soaking in his self-given glory. "He may teach three subjects but he only takes one or two classes per subject. It's not like he's doing the work of three professors."

"Of course I don't, I need time for myself too you know." Gilbert replied trying to justify himself.

"Now that everyone's settled, why don't we go inside, hm?" Francis asked them; already walking ahead to take hold of one of the stained glass windowed wooden doors. For once, Arthur couldn't agree with the Frog more.

Francis opened the double-doors and they were met by a very large room. It seemed to Arthur that it was roughly the same size of an auditorium. Inside were a lot of desks and swiveling chairs and they were parted by plywood dividers. There seemed to be some pattern to their arrangements but Arthur couldn't figure it out.

The tables themselves all looked the same, that is, if one pays what is placed on them no mind. But since Arthur's eyes notice things, he couldn't help but observe that the tables looked like they depict different personalities, most probably of the respective professors who occupy them.

There was even one with numerous figurines (and a fair amount of stuffed toys) of pandas on it and one with many pictures and posters of cats pinned on and the wall next to it.

"This is the main room of the faculty members," Francis started "We do paperwork and such here. The tables are arranged by department, the Social Science professors sit grouped together, so does the Engineering department, Education, Business, and…well, you get the idea. The departments are separated by dividers and the professors are allowed to place their tables however they want to within their space." _Ah, so that was the pattern._

"The departments all used to have separate faculty rooms in the past" Antonio put in, "But they said that the professors got tired of going from one room to another whenever they had to talk to a professor of another department."

"And so when the current Head Dean took over, he crammed all professors into one giant room to make everybody happy." Gilbert said, finishing up the details where the other two professors left it.

"That does sound like something Professor Vargas would do." Arthur pondered aloud.

"Your desk is over there by the Math department." Francis said as he pointed to the only desk in the spacious room that looked bare. "You can arrange it however you want and put anything on it that you like."

Arthur was about to take a step towards his table but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He looked at it and traced it to its owner who happened to be none other than Gilbert.

"Hold it right there Professor Kirkland, where do you think you're going?"

"To… my table." he said, but it sounded a lot like a question.

"_Mon ami_, you have nothing to be doing on your table as of now." Francis said "It's the start of semester; you should enjoy the absence of paperwork while it lasts."

"If you don't mind, we'd like to show you around the room a bit." Antonio helpfully put in "It may be just one room but it can get pretty confusing because of the way the different departments have different styles of arrangements. It took me a while to get used to it."

"And we also have to show you the faculty lounge. The microwave just got fixed yesterday!" Gilbert said, and Arthur couldn't bring himself to bother wondering why he sounded excited about a microwave getting repaired, it just seemed like something Gilbert's character fit in. Maybe he was getting used to the man.

"But I think I should start preparing for my first class." Arthur tried to protest.

"That's ages away." Gilbert said, obviously trying to convince the new professor to say yes to Antonio's offer.

"Actually, it's..." Arthur paused to check his watch "about half an hour away."

"Which is more than enough time for a quick tour," It was Francis who interjected this time. "What say you Professor Kirkland? Care to indulge us?" the look in the Frenchman's eyes clearly depicted his sureness that he and his two friends will win this argument.

Arthur looked from Francis to Antonio and Gilbert. At the smiles the two other professors gave, he remembered the way they both took him in nicely when they met. He couldn't help but felt like he owed them for their amiable welcome. It was proper to repay debts wasn't it? He gave a sigh.

"If I don't agree, you lot will just keep pestering me about it won't you?"

The three smiles he received were more than enough answer.

And so the tour commenced… Arthur was walked through the entirety of the large room, being given descriptions and side comments courtesy of Francis, Antonio and Gilbert. Pretty soon he was aware of where all the departments were situated, a rough name list of their members and some of the people rumored to be going out with each other. Really, these three were a fountain of information, both useful and not. As the "quick tour" progressed, Arthur got less and less aware of the time.

When they were about to get to Gilbert's favorite part of the tour, which of course was the lounge and the amazing microwave, a person with blond hair in a chin-length bob cut and lime green eyes interrupted them by tapping Arthur on the shoulder.

"Excuse me. You're Arthur Kirkland, the new Math professor?" he asked, but before Arthur could answer, Gilbert snapped at the other blond.

"Why'd you interrupt Vash? We were just about to get to the good part!" Gilbert whined loudly. The person he called Vash sighed but gave no answer, nor notice to him. Instead he got a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Arthur.

"My name is Vash Zwingli, a fellow professor. I just got back from the Head Dean's office and he asked me to give that to you. Apparently he missed placing it in the envelope he gave you earlier."

"Thank you Professor Zwingli." Arthur hoped he pronounced the man's last name right. He then unfolded the paper to examine it, "This is…"

"A sketch of the main floor plan to the floors with the classrooms." Vash confirmed for him, "I thought it would turn out unused since I thought you'd be off to your first class by the time I got here, but I guess you've taken the Head Dean's advice and postponed meeting your classes for today."

At that, Arthur's head jerked up from the paper to look at Vash with shocked disbelief. Did he hear the other man correctly?

Lime green eyes blinked at him as Vash struggled to read what his shocked expression conveyed. Arthur decided that consulting his own watch would be more helpful seeing as that he seemed to have lost his ability to speak.

His trusty watch revealed it to be twelve minutes past the time he was supposed to have arrived at classroom number 305. He felt his shock doubled.

"Wonderful," he said out loud "just bloody wonderful."

He then broke out in a run towards the double doors of the faculty room without a word of farewell to the four professors he left behind.

―X―X―X―

Arthur ran up the stairs, taking them two steps at a time. His heart was hammering, and he knew it was from both physical taxation and his nervousness at being late to the _first ever class he was going to meet and teach at Alexander University. _It was a good thing that the faculty room was in the second floor and that the room he had to get to was only a floor above it. Arthur didn't like the idea of running up more than one set of stairs.

He hoped that the students wouldn't have taken off yet. There was that unofficial rule of waiting fifteen minutes more before assuming the professor won't come. He fervently hoped the students practice that and he arrives in time for it.

He tried to recall the floor plan he was given a couple of minutes ago. If he remembered correctly, and (not to brag) he usually does, the next corner would be where room 305 is. He picked up the pace of his run as he neared the corner. He was starting to think that maybe he was lucky enough to just make it there with every student still intact, a smile almost made its way onto his face…

It was wiped clean off when he turned the corner and collided with someone, hitting his forehead against them.

He fell down to the floor due to impact, and he quickly lifted a hand to massage his throbbing temple. He barely heard the person he bumped into mutter "Ouch"

Great, just great… If he believed he still had hope a second ago, that belief was now all gone. He was delayed enough as it was and then he crashed into someone, delaying him further. Not to mention that he now ached at his posterior and his head throbbed from the over-thinking and hitting it from the collision. Maybe this was a sign from up there that he really wasn't meant to be teaching in a university at his current level. Maybe he really was rushing things too fast. Maybe his brothers were right when they mocked him and his profession. Maybe, maybe―

"Hey, are you okay there man? Do you need to go to the clinic or something?"

Maybe the person he collided with would shut up and leave him alone to stew in his self doubts if he didn't give an answer…

Wait just a darn minute! Who said he had to blame this unfortunate mishap on himself? He can just as much blame this accident or much better; on the person who he crashed into.

Really, didn't the person know enough to get out of the way when someone who's late for the very first class on their biggest step up in the teaching career is running towards said class?... but the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like it was inappropriate, the other party had a lot of excuse they could use to escape the blame, and Arthur was the one who was running blindly.

"Ow…" he muttered as he worked his fingers to try and soothe his aching head. Maybe he could blame all this on Francis? The French was the one who persuaded him on that_ tour_after all, if it wasn't for that tour he wouldn't have been running late. "Stupid Frog", but, thinking further about it made him remember that he was the one who actually accepted the offer of the tour in the end… so that means this thing comes back to be on his blame? "Bloody hell", maybe he should just forget about blaming anyone altogether.

"You shouldn't run in the corridors you know. We're supposed to have learned that way back in elementary school." he heard the same voice from earlier say to him. It sounded light and teasing but Arthur was in no mood for it…

He then remembered his resolve to keep his temper down and he struggled to keep inside the snap that was threatening to come out of him.

"Are you okay? You didn't break anything?" The same voice asked, only now it sounded concerned. That helped Arthur calm down a bit. He decided it was now safe to take his hand from his temple that wasn't hurting too much anymore and faced the person he rammed into.

When his vision cleared, he was met by a hand held out for him. He traced the arm to the owner and saw a young man look back at him. He was wearing jeans and a bomber jacket over his plain white shirt; his feet were covered by sneakers. An obvious student just by the way he dressed.

He had golden blond hair that shone from the hallway lights as Arthur looked up him. His hair came with a cowlick that looked too stubborn to stay flat. And he had blue eyes which reminded Arthur too much of the clear sky framed behind glasses.

When their eyes met, the expression on the student's face morphed into something Arthur couldn't quite make out. It was a bit like a kid who's seen a bicycle they really, really wish to have, displayed behind a store glass…

It seemed to Arthur that the other blond wasn't completely _there_. But since the hand was still offered out, Arthur took it as permission to pull himself up with the help of the hand.

He placed his hand on the other's and he felt something… different. Arthur have touched a lot of other people's hands today. He'd been shaking hands with people he met and with the Head Dean all through the day earlier and he didn't feel any different from usual…and yet when he grabbed hold of this student's hand which was larger than his and felt stronger than his, he can't shake off the feeling of being secure, of belonging, of―

He realized he'd been holding the other's hand even after he pulled himself to his feet. He quickly let go of the warm appendage and fiddled with his clothes to give his hands something else to do… Okay, so far the collision was awkward for Arthur. He quickly thought of something to say to change the mood.

"I, ahm, I apologize…for running blindly into you like that... M-my mind was…elsewhere during the time… and I―"

"Sorry, I spaced out. Come again?" the student said, interrupting him mid-ramble.

Arthur scowled. Here he was, trying his hardest to apologize and make small talk to appease the awkward atmosphere that took over the two of them and this… this _giant kid_…._spaced out_ and didn't listen? He felt his eyebrows cross and he clenched and unclenched his hands to keep them from reaching out and throttling the brat for having such poor manners…

He had to remind himself for the nth time that day of his resolve to control his temper now that he was a professor.

"I said," he started slowly, but was interrupted by the kid's rather violent shaking of his head. Arthur almost worried he'd pull a neck muscle or something. The head shaking stopped and the student gave Arthur a sheepish smile which he took as a cue for him to continue. He coughed lightly to clear his throat.

"I said I apologize for running blindly into you like that. My mind was elsewhere during the time. You're not badly hurt I hope?" True, the last part wasn't part of his original speech but it just came out naturally. Besides, the kid looked too distracted half the time, maybe he's concussed, or was in shock or something.

The taller blond looked at him with wide eyes and blinked. Almost conveying that he didn't expect Arthur to say the words he just told. Really, what was it with people expecting things of him on their own today? After a moment, the student finally looked ready to answer.

"Nah, don't sweat it!" he replied with a smile, and Arthur could tell the brat was genuinely in a good mood "I'm not injured or anything, I think… Hey, what about you? You hit your head right?"

Arthur jerked back when he realized that the other was reaching his hand out to touch him. He remembered the unexplainable feelings he had when he held the boy's hands earlier, and it seemed all too soon to be feeling it again. He was afraid of having the same feeling the second time around and still not find an explanation for the matter. He took a step back to avoid the other's touch.

He also couldn't explain the guilty feeling he was hit with when the kid frowned as he made his hasty retreat.

"I'm quite fine, thank you for your concern." He said the last part to try and alleviate the boy's mood.

"T-that's good!" the other replied, retracting his hand giving a strained looking smile. His blue eyes shifted around for a bit before he asked, "Uh, why were you running in the first place anyway?"

And Arthur was reminded of his lateness.

"Oh that" he began "Well, I'm sort of late for class and it's my―" he was about to explain more but the younger blond seemed to have found his spirit back and interrupted him.

"You mean Math 108 section S-3?" the blue-eyed student asked excitedly.

"Yes that would be my class." Arthur answered. He had all of his classes memorized so there was no mistaking it when he heard it.

If this kid knew his class, that must mean he's one of Arthur's students... What was he doing out in the hallway? Please don't tell him that all of the students left already.

"Then you're all clear!" the kid declared happily, and Arthur felt like he was saved… but then "Class hasn't begun yet."

Maybe this kid did have a head injury he was hiding, how can a class begin without the professor?

"Of course it hasn't, that would be because I―" he started, but the rude brat decided to cut him off again.

"Professor hasn't showed up yet. I was just there, but I took off since the class didn't seem like it would start anytime soon." The student explained, and Arthur became glad because the latter part sounded like the other students were still accounted for inside the room.

"Well, if you'd just go back to the classroom, class would begin shortly." Arthur himself was just about to take a step forward to the direction of the door when the student he crashed with spoke up again.

"I doubt it."

"Excuse me?" Arthur wasn't quite sure he heard right.

"The professor's been late long enough to pass the message that he doesn't plan coming at all. I heard he's this new workaholic, last minute replacement professor. If you ask me, I'm glad he skipped the first day of class."

"_Excuse me?"_ Was this kid for real? Did he not realize who he was talking to?

"That way, he'll have more time to settle in and we'll have more free time before boring Math classes start." The kid explained happily "A win-win situation right?"

It's official; the oblivious young man really didn't know who it was he was talking to. Arthur was going to have to fix that…Without strangling the kid within an inch of his life of course. It was common courtesy to ask for one's name first when trying to communicate, Arthur decided to go with that.

"Listen, Mister…?" he strained himself to keep from shouting at the other's face _I AM YOUR PROFESSOR_.

"Oh, it's Alfred!" the student replied brightly "my name's Alfred F. Jones."

Alfred huh? Well it seemed like a nice enough name, but since he was a professor and this kid was his student, he wasn't to use this young man's given name.

"Listen, Mister Jones," he began, fully inept on explaining things to Alfred who is one impossibly oblivious kid. But he was interrupted once again.

"Just call me Alfred, really, I don't mind." Having a reminder of how much clueless the kid was grated on Arthur's nerves.

"Listen. Mister. _Jones._" Arthur said, taking a step forward with each word for emphasis until he was less than a foot away from his student, which should've bothered him, but he couldn't bring himself to care about proximity at the time.

He looked straight into blue eyes, making sure to keep eye contact and not lose the kid's attention. It would be bothersome to have to repeat himself every single time.

"Uh, yes I'm listening." Alfred replied, sounding confused, but listening all the same.

Good, Arthur relished the fact that he now had Alfred's undivided attention.

"The way I am currently seeing things, you have two choices" Arthur unconsciously leaned up to hiss in the boy's face, "either you carry on your merry way of cutting classes…or you haul yourself back into the room you just left so you can attend my class." Arthur tried to ignore the heavy feeling he had when he suggested the boy to leave, "But whichever one you choose, you're going to have to step out of my way, savvy?" what was important now was for Arthur to get to room 305.

Jones stood there looking to be in shock as Arthur finished his talking. Without waiting for the kid to snap out of his reverie, Arthur stepped ahead toward the door with the numbers 305 displayed above it. The noise that was coming off from the closed room assured Arthur that there were still students inside. He felt thankful at that fact.

He turned to look towards his student that was still left in a daze out in the hallway. He couldn't help the smirk of satisfaction that made its way into his face as he looked at that shocked expression and knowing he was the one who caused it. It was nice to know he made some kind of impact on the young man.

"But let me tell you just one more thing Mister Jones," he said as he flashed his smug smile "Professor Arthur Kirkland isn't fond of class cutters." He wasn't sure why he added that, maybe to ruffle the kid some more…but he couldn't be sure.

Arthur then opened the door and stepped inside the room.

The students inside were fairly noisy, but some of them seemed to have noticed his presence at the door and those seated at the front started to quiet down… These students seemed to notice right away that he was a professor, why did that Jones bloke thought otherwise? He wearing a corporate attire for Pete's sake, complete with a necktie. That should've been a spot on giveaway…right?

He made his way to the front of the room, placing his messenger bag on the desk beside the board. By now the students all have settled down and their boisterous noise earlier have been reduced to hushed whispers. When he finally turned his attention to look at the class, he felt a large lump form in his throat and his palms begin to get that clammy feeling again.

Oh wonderful. He was being attacked by first-day nerves again, and he felt nervous as the students seemingly all stared at him and whispered to one another about him. This was ridiculous. He's been teaching for years, well three, but more than one is many enough. Why would he feel nervous now all of a sudden? He was used to facing kids all the time; he was good with them…

Maybe it was the fact that these students did not look like those middle school kids he was used to teaching daily, that made him nervous. They all looked like grown-ups with hard to please attitudes and Arthur felt like he was compelled to measure up to their expectations or he'll be labeled as a failure, ridiculed and stoned to death.

_So this is what they call pressure._

He opened his mouth to say something to the class to distract himself from the uneasy feeling, but before any words manage to come out of him, the door opened and Alfred F. Jones appeared inside the room, wearing a grin on his face and settling his blue eyes on Arthur. To Arthur's surprise, he found no feelings of irritation towards the student for yet again disrupting his plan of talking.

If anything, Arthur felt…relieved.

Seeing the boy standing there, beaming a smile at him and looking straight at him with clear blue eyes that seemed to promise things he couldn't grasp, strangely comforted Arthur. It distracted him from his jitters and it somehow calmed him, like how tea and roses can help him relax, only it felt…different, it felt…like more.

Before he got too lost in the comfortable vibe his student emanated, Arthur thought he'd better start talking now while he can. The brat has an awful hobby of interrupting him.

"Nice of you to join us Mister Jones." He was glad his voice didn't come out sounding odd. "Please have a seat."

For a moment, Alfred just stood there at the doorway, and Arthur began wondering if there was something wrong. But before his worry could manifest into something, the spectacled young man gave a bigger smile and marched towards the empty seat on the second row.

_How childish…_

Wait, maybe that was why Arthur was comforted by seeing Jones, because the college kid resembled a child to Arthur and Arthur was used to children, if not fond of them. Seeing Alfred must've reminded Arthur that although these students look almost like adults, they are still students who look to Arthur for guidance in their learning, much like the kids he left back at England.

Yes, maybe that was the reason…or part of it anyway.

He watched as Alfred shrugged off his bag and settled himself down on the vacant seat. After that, Arthur thought it best to try his hand at addressing the class again.

"Good afternoon everyone." He greeted the class, he found it wasn't so hard to after all "To start things off, let me introduce myself." He picked up a marker by the base of the white board and used it to write his name. "My name is Arthur Kirkland… I will be your Math 108 professor for this semester."

He waited a while for something, a violent reaction, a gasp of disbelief, but nothing came…

_Alright then, so far so good._

He walked back to his bag and took out a bundle of papers bounded together by a strip of paper stapled on both ends. With that in his arms, he proceeded to walk to the student seated at the far end of the front row.

"Please take one and pass the rest to the back," he said as he took some papers from the bundle and handed it to the girl. He did the same to every students seated up front. When he reached the column where Alfred was seated, the boy smiled at him. Arthur blinked before continuing to hand out the papers until the last column.

When he finished the task, he went back to the front of class and placed the excess papers on the desk.

"Those are copies of the course outline we'll be following this semester." Arthur told the class and the students looked at their respective copies "It also includes the name of the textbook we'll be using, and I also listed some useful reference books that you lot can consult if you have time…" at the obvious dubious look in the students' faces, he added, "or if you want to." which Arthur was half sure these students did not, in fact, want to.

Arthur chanced a look at his wristwatch and found out that twenty-some odd minutes of his supposed class time have already passed. There was no way to fit in a lecture.

"Well people, since I was late coming here, which I apologize for being by the way, we now have not nearly enough time to have a lecture…" Arthur began, and the students perked up at his announcement. It was amazing that no matter the age, students still seem to think along the same lines when it comes to there being no classes. "So, to not spend a complete waste of time, if you have any questions about the things we'll be taking up this semester, feel free to voice them out and I'll try my best to answer."

Arthur often did that during the first day of class when he was still teaching in middle school. He noticed that kids are often not yet in their best learning mood on first days so the best way to deal with them was to have a non-mentally taxing discussion to warm them up first. He planned on doing otherwise today since he was to teach college kids, but what else can he do now? Dismiss them after all the trouble he went through to get here?

A girl to the right of Alfred's general direction (not that Arthur was using Jones as reference, no of course not) hesitantly raised her manicured hand to the air. "Yes, miss." He called out the girl.

"Uhm, you won't be implementing a seat plan will you?"

Arthur blinked at the question. Then he noticed that the girl was seated among other girls and judging by their matching hairstyles, they must be a group of friends… Arthur then remembers that section S-3 was a block section. These kids must've formed groups within the class.

"No I won't. You can sit with whomever you wish to." Arthur answered, and the students all seemed pleased by that.

After that, multiple hands made their way up. Arthur had to pick one…

"Yes, you sir beside the window."

"Are you here to take over for Professor Anders?"

"Yes… And to save anyone the trouble of asking, I am also taking over Professor Lyon's work too."

And a series of not so soft murmurs dominated the classroom… A hand then rose again, and Arthur nodded at the student to gesture his acknowledgement.

"So you're from England?" okay, these questions were not about the course outline like Arthur said they should be…

"Yes, I came from London to be exact."

"When did you arrive?" this time, a girl didn't bother to be called on before voicing her question.

"My flight landed yesterday."

"And you're already working the next day?" came the rhetorical question from another student, Arthur did not feel the need to answer.

"You look a little young to be a professor." Another girl commented.

"I assure you I'm old enough." It didn't matter if he was a tiny bit younger than most professors here. He's still qualified.

"How did they find you from all the way over UK?" a boy questioned.

"And how come you accepted the job on such short notice?" another boy added.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" a girl asked out of the blue.

"Erm…" the questions kept flying and they got more and more personal. Arthur didn't know how to answer them…

Suddenly, a hand waving enthusiastically over the air caught his attention. It was a familiar hand…and the sleeve of the brown bomber jacket helped identify the person owning the hand too.

"Hey prof, I have a question." Alfred said as he waved around his hand. Arthur was desperate enough now to get away from the other questions that had just been thrown at him. He hoped Jones' question was better.

"Yes, Mister Jones?"

"Which one are we going to take up first, optimization or curve tracing?" Alfred asked, sounding serious.

The room fell silent.

Arthur cleared his throat before he could answer. "We can actually take them up simultaneously."

"Really? Why's that?" Alfred asked again, sounding intrigued.

"You see, optimization is also a process we need to undertake in being able to trace curves… After we cover up the derivation process, we can get the first derivative of a function and set it equal to zero; that's optimization. The result of optimization is called a maxima or minima, and we use the maxima and minima to successfully plot the equation of a curve… You'll understand better once we get the actual lectures going."

After Arthur's answer, the students all quieted down again. They seemed to have been distracted from bombarding Arthur with all the pesky questions as they have been doing earlier, and he thought that it was best to act now to stop all the nonsense from replaying.

"Well if there won't be any more inquiries for clarifications, I think it's time I dismissed you." He watched as the students' faces lighted up with the prospect of being let go. "I'll see you next class. You may all take leave now."

Arthur watched as the students got up from their seats and all disappeared out the doors… All except one that is.

"Is something the matter Mister Jones?" he asked with a sigh as he realized the kid was still seated and didn't appear to be considering leaving.

"Nah, everything's cool." the American replied "I just had a couple more questions… Is that okay?" the last part was asked almost hesitantly, which Arthur considered odd because since the time he bumped with this kid, he's been nothing but a big ball of confidence.

"It's fine, go ahead and ask." Arthur replied and he had saw Alfred's face brighten up again as the student got up from his seat and walked near the front of the room.

"Okay, first up; do you have another class to meet right after this one?"

Arthur wondered a bit at the question but decided to answer anyway.

"Not right away. I have a two-hour free period before my next class."

"I see. I have an hour of vacant period myself." The student said, and then asked another question "Say professor, have you had lunch yet?"

The Briton then realized that because of all the things that happened since he arrived, he'd had no chance at all to think about eating, much less come to actually doing it, and at the mention of lunch, his stomach decided to make its growing hunger known by emitting a growl… He felt his face flush hard from embarrassment.

"I'll take that as a 'no'." Alfred said with a hint of laugh lacing his voice.

"S-shut up! It's impolite to poke fun at a professor just because he's new."

"I wasn't making fun of you." Alfred replied, trying to placate his offended professor. "I haven't had lunch yet either…"

"…"

"So, uhm… Do you want to grab some? Lunch I mean." The student asked finally, with a hint of red on his cheeks.

Arthur could've sworn he was possessed by unknown spirits when he felt his head give a nod.

tbc

Xai's corner: Yes, Julius is Grandpa Rome, and I got the name of the university from Alexander the Great. Whew, I struggled a lot, and I mean _a lot_ with the middle part. So many things to put in, so little of my mind to work it through… So sorry if this seemed too long, but I had to include all of those events in there to build up the story and the characters… To be honest guys, I feel that the next chapter may be as long as this one. Tell me if that bothers you, please… And of course, I end this corner with a request for reviews! You people rock!

Translations: (Although I think you already recognize them, but just in case)

_Mon ami/ Mes amis- _French "my friend"/ "my friends"

Siesta- a Spanish term for naps. But I think it's accepted in English now, isn't it?

_Moi- _French "Me"

_Mon cher- _French "My dear"

_Je suis désolé- _French "I apologize"

_Por favor-_ Spanish "Please"

_Stanza della Facoltà- _Italian "Faculty Room" or "Room of the Faculty"

Next Chapter: _What we see and notice about a certain thing, catches our attention. What we think and feel about the certain thing, keeps it._


	3. Focus

Author's note: Okay, that took longer than I planned. But I delivered in the end didn't I? Update schedules really are just a bit flighty for me… As always**, I thank the lovely reviewers**. Don't worry guys; I'll reply to you soon, I just need to sleep a bit. And also give **a big hug to those who added this to their list of favorites** and **took time to place it on alert.** And I also **thank everyone that reads this story**… So okay, this chapter has lots of characters debuting in. We'll be having a general point of view from the students, and pretty much most of the professors will be mentioned.

Warnings: Ahm, better brace yourself for some toothaches, or some barfing early on. I think I might've over did it with the mush and sweetness on the first part of this chapter, but meh, I felt like I had to.

Disclaimer: Credit goes to real owners. I only own the plot of this fanfiction, nothing less, and sadly nothing more.

*Edited, sometime in December. I did what I could to fix it up a bit.

* * *

Answer Key

By Synxailla

Chapter Two "Focus"

_What we see and notice about a certain thing catches our attention. What we think and feel about the certain thing, keeps it.

* * *

_

Alfred munched happily on his burger. It tasted a little different than the ones he's used to having. It was a little dry, had too many veggies and not enough salt and mayo for his tastes―but that's fine. He ate it with as much gusto as he would any normal hamburger. He felt like nothing can ruin his good mood right now. Not even an improperly made (never mind if it's said to be healthier than fast-food) burger.

The breeze blew softly, yet the warm afternoon sun beating down kept the cold away. And the sky was so blue and the few clouds looked so white and fluffy… It was definitely a good idea to have picked an outdoor cafe to have lunch in; thank goodness the campus had loads of them.

It felt absolutely perfect to him…

Which was why Alfred had to wonder at the frown that was currently marring his new professor's face as the other blond idly poked the food on the plate in front of him with the fork he was holding. Did he not like what he ordered? Well, that was completely Arthur's fault, not his, he suggested cheeseburger, but _no_, apparently it wasn't English enough for the professor's tastes. Too bad… now he had to suffer his shoddy lunch, he didn't seem to even like it enough to try another bite.

"Wow, their chicken salad is that bad huh?"

At his question, the fork in Arthur's hands decided to do a very elaborate jump exhibition, he fumbled trying to keep the silverware from falling to the floor. When the utensil was once again under control, Professor Kirkland heaved a sigh of relief before snapping his head up to look at Alfred with narrowed accusing eyes.

"Don't startle me like that!" he exclaimed with furrowed brows and Alfred had to smile wider.

"Sorry," Alfred said with a snort of laughter which probably ruined the apology effect…. even if he had no idea what it was he was trying to apologize for. "I was just wondering why you weren't eating."

Green eyes widened in realization then drifted to the still full plate in front of them, before they narrowed again as their owner seemed to pull himself back together.

"O-of course I'm eating!" and as if to punctuate his words, the professor suddenly shoveled a fork-full of chicken salad into his mouth and chewed with more force than needed.

Well now, this professor seems crankier when he's not in a classroom setting…

At least he's eating now, so Alfred didn't have to worry about him getting appendicitis or something. It won't do for Arthur Kirkland to get sick, it just won't. The man was meant to stay healthy, his face was better flushed with color and his eyes were best when they were clear and expressive like they are now. It won't do for this man to turn pale and have dull eyes only because of a pathetic sickness.

"Has no one taught you that staring is a sign of boorishness?" Professor Kirkland suddenly said as he downed another fork-full of his lunch, snapping Alfred out of his thoughts.

"Boorishness?" Alfred asked as he tilted his head to the side in confusion. The person seated across him gave him a disbelieving look before sighing.

"It means being rude." Arthur supplied.

"Oh!"He said brightly, this man was pretty good at linguistics for a math professor, and then he remembered that the word synonymous to 'rude' was said in implication to his behavior. Alfred felt a bit ashamed "Oh… Sorry about that. I guess I spaced out."

"That's a bad habit. You should stop while you can." The professor replied and Alfred had to think over the words before he got what the older man was saying.

"I don't have a habit of spacing out." Alfred defended himself with a pout that he would never admit to be wearing, and the Briton gave a knowing smile.

"No? Well, seeing as that's the second time this afternoon that I encountered you 'spacing out', I assumed you do it rather frequently." The Professor said with a sort of lazy smirk. Alfred can't help but feel that Arthur was being a little…cheeky.

Well, that seemed like fun so he won't complain.

"Sir, I know you're my Math professor…but keeping count of the times I space out is a bit much, don't you think?" Alfred replied teasingly, barely aware that his blue eyes were shining with challenge and his own brand of mischief.

Alfred expected the other blond to get mad and blow his top off, or worse, maybe turn all serious and walk out on him, which thinking about made him instantly feel sorry (worried, afraid) for ever voicing out the last words he said. He was about to open his mouth to take it back, try to laugh it off, and cross his fingers in hope that the professor won't storm away and never ever come back… But Arthur beat him to the punch.

"Dear lad, you should be thankful. If I do not keep count of them, no one else will bother to, and you'll never have known you have an idiocy-inducing habit-in-the-making." The professor said rather calmly in his refined British accent before taking another bite of his ordered lunch…

Alfred couldn't help it… He started laughing. Laughing hard... So hard that he had to squeeze his eyes shut and take heaving breaths that made the table shake as he was leaning on it.

The cutlery, together with the food and drinks jumped and threatened to spill over every time he banged his hand on the table surface to further express his extreme glee. He was so engrossed in his amusement that he didn't notice his new Math professor madly try to grab and hold down the table and its contents in effort to try and save them from Alfred's hysterics.

"Stop!" Arthur demanded, but the boy seemed to have heard nothing and continued on laughing. "Stop it you git! You're going to ruin our lunch!"

And the student couldn't bring himself to believe Professor Kirkland's words… Really? Ruin this lunch? As if! Alfred wouldn't even dream of doing it! There was no way he would do anything that could even remotely have the potential to sap all the fun out of this event. How could his professor even think that Alfred is trying to ruin their lunch? This was the most fun he's had in a long, _long_ time. He'd rather (pretend to) admit that UFO's don't exist than mess up their lunch.

Alfred still had his eyes squeezed shut, feeling tears start to form in their sides from the overstimulation of his tear ducts from laughing too hard. He was already leaning his head on the table for support before he got the slightest control over his laughing frenzy.

That small amount of control enabled him to lift his head a couple of inches from the table, with his arms still sprawled on the wooden surface. He managed also to pry his eyes open…only to gaze straight once again at beautiful green eyes…this time, he was sure those eyes were also looking back directly at him and there was currently a fair lack of distance in between them.

It killed another laugh from bubbling out of his throat and effectively stopped his body from any movement whatsoever…but did nothing to soothe his still excited mood.

It seemed that while Alfred was in his own little very funny world, Arthur half-dived so that his hands and arms forced down the table, trying to hold up as much of the unstable things as he could, and lessen the table's rocking… and due to that certain turn of events, he and his professor were both crouching down and leaning forward. Their table for two was pretty small so there wasn't much space between them in their new positions.

All of a sudden, the soft breeze, warm sun, clear skies, and fluffy white clouds couldn't hold a candle to the new feeling that fuzzed inside Alfred.

Their faces were pretty close together that Alfred could appreciate the fullness of wide green eyes. He felt warm, but whether that was due to his own temperature or the other's breath almost fanning out on his face, he wasn't too sure… What he was sure of though, was that in this distance, Alfred could count how many eyelashes Arthur had, if he strained his eyes enough and if they stayed longer like that…which they didn't.

Professor Kirkland broke whatever spell it was that settled over them by jumping out of his position so suddenly, the table and all those things the man had been trying to save before gave one last hard shake that it was almost a miracle nothing spilt or fell down the table.

The Briton's face looked about as red as Alfred felt his own must be… excitement is a scary thing.

"Y-you…!" Arthur began; his fists were shaking along with his voice. Alfred was worried he stepped over a line he never meant to. Another apology was ready to burst out of him. "Did you find the absolute need to act like a big brat? You almost wasted our food!"

Alfred couldn't believe the amount of relief he felt at finding out that the professor wasn't mad at him for other things, but because of his nearly costing them their lunch. It felt like a motive behind an anger that was a lot easier to deal with than any other alternative…

This time, the student had to remind himself not to be relieved too much as to get so high-spirited and make a repeat of all that strange things that happened between them on the table…even if it felt somewhat amazing.

"Sorry," Alfred wheezed out as he bravely fought against the fit of laughs he was still hanged over on "It's just that…well…you're very funny sir."

"What?" the professor asked, sounding skeptic of Alfred's words "Is that your way of trying to blame your silliness on me?" he finished sounding angry.

"Of course not, I―"

"Good!" Arthur said, cutting off his student's words for a change "Because all of this is completely, utterly, without a doubt, your entire fault!"

What _this_ was though, neither blond actually knew exactly…

"Jeez, okay, alright, I get it. I said sorry already didn't I?" Alfred began, trying to placate the snapping Briton "Besides, I didn't mean anything I said in a bad way you know."

"Forgive me if I took you laughing your tonsils out at me and your mockery as insulting." Arthur replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Hey, you can't blame me for laughing, it was reflex! And I never mocked you; I only said you were funny."

"Oh please, that condescending way you told me I'm supposedly _funny_ is mockery enough."

Alfred didn't know exactly what 'condescending' means but he can make a few guesses and was sure that he didn't say that the professor was funny in that way and he never wanted to mock the older man. Was communication ever this rough with other people?

"No! I honestly thought that you're funny." Alfred said and he tried his best to show he was sincere "I think you're pretty interesting, sir."

"…" the professor didn't answer, but he gave a stunned and wondering look towards his student. Alfred gave him a smile.

"You seem like an interesting guy, which I'm glad of because I didn't want to take another subject under some boring professor who wasn't serious about his work." Alfred explained "But you're a different kind of professor. I just feel like you're dedicated. What with you taking on the university's offer on such short notice, flying over The Pond right away just to make it here before semester starts, and making that course outline over that small time-frame, you kind of make it obvious that you like your job… So, am I right?"

Green eyes blinked at Alfred twice, before they drifted down to look at the plate of half-eaten chicken salad. Arthur started pushing the dish idly around with his fork, all the time avoiding to look up at Alfred, even as he started to reply.

"Well…I do like my job, even if this is only my first day and I've only had my first class." Arthur said quietly, "but…" at that he drifted off and said nothing more.

Alfred cocked his head to the side and waited for a moment before finally deciding to coax the other into continuing further. "But what?" he asked softly. He had to wait a while before the professor spoke up again.

"But sometimes…"the other began so softly Alfred had to strain his hearing a bit to understand the words. "Sometimes I would feel as if…I am not worthy of it." The professor admitted in a whisper and Alfred felt taken back by the words. "Sometimes, I feel like I am over abusing lady fortune with my being here, as if it was by some mistake I managed to get this far so early in the race…Like I cheated in some way and have no right…"the words were just flowing now, and for every word that was said Alfred felt something squeezing at his chest. "I feel that I mustn't be here…I feel, like I don't belong here." at those last words, Alfred caught a glimpse of green eyes losing their luster.

He felt something between panic and anger take over him.

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!"

Alfred wasn't quite aware of how loud he shouted, how many people heard him, or how hard he was clenching his hands. What he was aware of was how the professor snapped his head up to meet his eyes. It was done so suddenly, as if Arthur was snapped out of a gloom or something, and he had a look on his face of something like shock, then it turned into something like…regret?

"You…you mustn't raise your voice like that mister Jones." Arthur managed to say, once again averting his eyes from looking at his student. The words were meant to be scolding, but they were quiet and said in a tone one would use when trying to distance one's self….Alfred would have none of that.

"How could you say that?" Alfred asked, completely ignoring the other's reprimand. "Why are you thinking that way?"

Arthur gave no answer.

When Alfred looked at the man, he saw his lips forming a light line, like he was trying hard to stop himself from saying anything more. This annoyed Alfred very much, but for some reason, the annoyance was matched with an equal amount of worry.

"Did anyone say something to you to make you think like that?" Alfred asked again, surprised by the anger he felt at his own guess "Were you bullied by someone when you got here?"

That last question managed to pull a reaction out of the professor. His shoulders jumped as he heard them and he turn to face Alfred again so quickly, his short hair swished in the air for a moment. He was shooting Alfred a glare when they were facing each other again properly… The light in those green eyes were enough to distract Alfred from worrying for his life.

"I most certainly was _not_ bullied!" Arthur snapped at his student.

"You…weren't…?" Alfred asked slowly, confused. But he saw the guy looking like someone was giving him a really hard time about something. And of course, what we see and notice about a certain thing, catches our attention.

"No, of course I wasn't!" The professor took a breath and slowly let it out before he resumed talking in a more sedated way "The people here; the head dean and my colleagues all welcomed me rather nicely actually."

"That's great!" Alfred replied happily, but then… "But why are you so unsure of yourself if no one bullied you into being like that?"

"May you please stop using the term _bullied_? It sounds very immature." Arthur replied, not answering the question.

"Okay." Alfred readily agreed. "So why are you feeling unsure of yourself if nobody picked on you?" there, he stopped using the term.

A heavy sigh, and then… "I'm not exactly sure… At first I was fairly certain that I can handle everything fine… But it seems very different when I'm actually in front of the students inside a classroom."

"What are you talking about? I saw you doing great in your first class."

"Yes, but that was only after y―" Arthur managed to clamp his mouth shut to prevent any more words from coming out of him. His eyes widened again, like he was afraid of what he might've said.

"Only after…?" Alfred prompted.

"N-never mind…" the professor replied and hurriedly added, "The bottom line is that I got nervous and doubted myself… but professors are not supposed to be that way."

"Well if that's what the problem is then it isn't too hard to solve right?" Alfred said with a wide grin to try and promote encouragement… His professor just eyed him warily.

"If you're about to suggest I take anti-depressants, you have another thing coming."

Alfred can't get himself to be offended at that, even if he felt it was only half-meant as a joke. He also found it very hard to keep from laughing like an insane person again… but by some miracle he managed to tone it down to a few chuckles and snorts.

"Don't worry sir; I don't push drugs to people who don't want 'em." Alfred said with a laugh "but I think I have a suggestion on how to get you over your…slump."

"Oh?" then there was a pause. Maybe Arthur was weighing the pros and cons of where the conversation was going. "…Fine, let's hear it then."

"Right!" Alfred was feeling better now, and he was more than ready to help his new professor. "All you need is _focus_!"

Instead of the thankful expression Alfred expected from the older blond, he was met by yet another confused look. Did he not get it…? Okay, it was now official: communication was never this hard for Alfred before. It's a good thing he likes taking on challenges.

"Er… I need…focus?"

"Yep, exactly! You need focus."

"But...I already have focus. I am not as scatterbrained as you may think, thank you very much." Arthur said crossing his arms.

"That's not focus." Alfred said, disagreeing "That's, well… being organized or something. My friend Ludwig's like that, sometimes he boarders on obsessive compulsive―But that's not what I want to point out." At that, he shook his head a bit to get his thoughts back on track. "You probably felt intimidated by the class because they distracted you some way from what you are fixed on achieving. What you need to do is to find your focus so that you can keep your attention on it and won't get side tracked…"

Alfred noticed the other guy's doubtful expression turn into something else, but it wasn't one of epiphany so he couldn't help but wonder "Am I making sense to you here?"

"I…I think you actually may be."

"That's good!" well, at least Alfred thought it was. "Just try it out and watch your nervous attacks fly out the window."

"Heh, well I guess you _are _legitimate to offer advice about keeping nerves at bay."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'm just saying Mister Jones," his professor replied, finally wearing an expression in semblance of a smile "that you are a very positive person."

"Oh, then it's all cool… At least you don't think that I'm over-confident like some people." He was briefly reminded of the times people had been none too nice to him because they took him for a boastful jerk. He didn't want his professor to view him the same way those people did.

"Of course I don't." Arthur replied "If I did then I probably would've ignored you, then we probably wouldn't have this conversation, and you probably wouldn't have given your advice, and then I probably would have kept choking each time I face my classes."

"No you wouldn't have." Alfred denied strongly "You would have worked it out on your own and gotten over it eventually."

"Maybe, maybe not…" Arthur replied, still somewhat sounding unsure. This irritated the spectacled youth.

"You know what professor? You should stop trying to pressure yourself. Nobody here doubts you anyway right?"

At that, the professor gave a deep thoughtful look... After a moment, he looked up to meet Alfred eye to eye before giving a soft smile, the kind that the student have yet to see on his cranky face, until now… It was probably just surprise that made Alfred's heart skip a beat.

…Probably

"You're right. I definitely should." It was nice that Arthur sounded determined.

Mission accomplished. Now, move on to the next stage: improve communication.

"Professor, you're from England right?" Alfred suddenly asked

"Yes, I believe I've said that back in class."

"So then you'll be living at the professor's dorms now." it wasn't a question "Although it's more of a staff dorm since the university guidance councilor, assistant librarian, nurse and physician also live there…" he added as an afterthought. "Hey know what? I also live in the dorms. The one for students of course."

"Your house is far from here then?"

"Yeah, it would take about a full day to get from here to there by driving."

"I see. So you've been living away from home since you started attending university."

"Uh-huh, but I don't mind it that much. I like being on my own anyway." And things back home are a bit…difficult, but there's no need to mention that here. "You know, I envy the staff and professors. They each get a room to themselves and I heard it's bigger than the student dorm rooms, and the students have to share a room in pairs."

"Well that would only make sense since there are more boarding students to divide the space than there are professors." Arthur replied, like explaining to a kid. "You don't have a conflict of some kind with your roommate, do you?"

"My roommate? Nah. He's a good guy. He seems like this very calm and serene person, but he kicks butt in video games." Alfred answered with a grin. So far this conversation was going nicely, except for that middle part. But he's fixed that so everything's okay now. "Do you play video games sir?"

"No, that rots your brain anyway." Arthur replied with a roll of his eyes.

"No they don't!" Alfred protested, "They promote critical and strategic thinking you know. There's this online game developed by Professor Gilbert and it's totally awesome!"

"Professor Gilbert?" Arthur asked, "Gilbert Beilschmidt?"

"That's him! Although we don't really call him by his last name so much; it's a bit tricky to pronounce Be-il-sch-midt" Alfred said, feeling a bit stupid at trying to say the German surname, at least he thought it was German, Ludwig has the same one. "You've met him?" he then asked Arthur.

Arthur gave a nod, "I've met him earlier… He seemed nice enough. A bit eccentric though."

Alfred laughed at his Math professor's description. "I guess you'd find him odd. But he's pretty popular around campus! He has this online blog, which some students practically jump and roll over trying to be included in even just one entry."

"An online blog eh? Well, he does teach Web Development…" Arthur replied, sounding thoughtful "Have you had a class under him? I heard he only takes one or two each semester."

"Nope, at least not Web Development, I don't take that class." Alfred replied after a light shake of his head. "But I did take one of his Physical Education class last year. He's an avid soccer fan."

"It's called 'football' actually." Arthur corrected with a slight twitch of his fuzzy eyebrows. When he seemed to have been pacified enough by Alfred's shrug and grin, he continued. "You don't take Web Development? I was under the impression it's one of the more popular classes nowadays." Arthur said wondering.

"You talk like an old man, using the word 'nowadays'." Alfred said and his professor's eyes narrowed. "I mean, it can't be that long ago since you graduated right? I.T. was already on demand some years ago, if I'm correct." He added, to try and explain himself. He was rewarded by the disappearance of his professor's glare.

"Yes it was." Arthur confirmed. "But I am curious as to why you are not taking Web Development… What major are you planning to take up by the way?" the question left Alfred quiet for some time.

"Well… I haven't really decided on that one yet." Alfred admitted.

"What? But you're a sophomore already, you must have _some_ inclination."

"It's no big deal. I'm still getting to know what I want to take up…" Alfred said, trying to brush it off.

"You attended college without some plan of what you want to do in the future?" Arthur asked not at all amazed.

"Um… Yes?" Alfred's answer turned out more of a question. Feeling the need to justify himself, he added, "I didn't want to stop studying after high school only to reflect on what my path in college should be. I figured I'd stumble upon it eventually when I get here." and honestly, stop a year and spend it in that house? No way.

"And here you are, a whole year later… still not stumbling upon your path. You deter from the University Motto." Arthur said, and Alfred felt like he was starting to get what condescending really meant.

"I still have a whole year left before I step into third year and start taking majors. I can still prepare for it." Alfred defended, "Think about it sir, five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes. Plenty of time left." He finished with a grin.

"Don't try to impress me by converting years to minutes; it doesn't work Mister Jones, especially since they made that into a song already." Arthur replied, ever the un-amazed one.

Arthur eyed the student for a bit and Alfred maintained his grin. It wasn't long before the professor gave a sigh. "Well, I trust you'll be able to find your interests soon enough. You seem like a good student… But you mustn't keep prolonging your decision or you'll have troubles in the near future, understand?"

"Aye, aye Professor Kirkland!" Alfred exclaimed with a wide smile. And just because he felt like doing it, a mock salute using his left hand.

Arthur shot the kid a look that said he was trying hard to keep from smiling…or from smacking someone because his fists were shaking again. "You could answer me in a normal way. No, you _should_ answer me in a normal way."

Wow, this conversation is actually a lot of fun. And also very productive… And to think Alfred was thinking twice about asking his professor to have lunch together with him because he was… was what? He forgot already. So he shrugged it off. Nothing else mattered now anyway.

"Okay then, I shall bear in mind your words of wisdom and guidance." Alfred said trying to humor his professor's request in his own unique way.

"If that's your _normal way_ of answering, then I really must wonder at your reasoning." Arthur replied and Alfred had no trouble translating 'reasoning' into 'sanity'… Hey, he's starting to improve at understanding his professor's words! Nice.

Alfred laughed softly as he started lowering his left hand down from its position above his brows. The big smile on his face faltered as he caught sight of his wristwatch.

"Holy _spit!_" Alfred shouted… He was glad that he managed to tinker the cuss word, it won't do to shout a profanity in front of the man who'll be grading his Math subject this semester. His professor looked at him, startled.

"Is something the matter?"Arthur asked; his prominent eyebrow furrowed.

Alfred stared at his watch some more and when the digital thing refused to budge its reading display he knew his fun time was to be over soon.

"Aw man... My break's almost up." Alfred answered in a disappointed tone. He only had an hour of free period while his professor had two.

He was so engrossed in his own regret that Alfred failed to catch a glimpse of the same amount of disappointment that made its way onto the normally serious/cranky professor's face.

"I…I see." Arthur then coughed lightly to clear his throat. "Then you'd best be on your way. It's not nice to cast aside punctuality. Trust me, I should know."

And Alfred was reminded of their collision earlier that afternoon. If that resulted from the older man's being late, Alfred can't quite convince himself that nothing good comes from being less than punctual… But he'll take his professor's advice for now.

"You're right." Alfred said as he got a paper napkin to wrap his half-eaten burger in. It's not good to waste food, and he often showed up in classes armed with a burger in one hand anyway, it was starting to be a trademark or something. "I guess I'll be going in ahead of you sir."

As Alfred stood up from his chair, so did his professor. Maybe it was some form of courtesy or something. Do all British people have such instilled manners?… Before anything else was said, Arthur thrust his right arm forward, his palm open in stance of waiting for a handshake.

Alfred looked at the man standing in front of him and couldn't help but think his posture looked a little…stiff. Like the professor was trying too hard in offering his hand to Alfred. His green eyes were once again casted to the side, not looking at him. The American wondered a little at that, but it didn't stop him from reaching out his own hand and taking the offered slighter hand in a firm hold… It didn't escape Alfred that his professor flinched slightly as their hands touched.

"Well Mister Jones, it was nice dining with you." Arthur said as he shook his student's larger hand. "I guess I'd see you tomorrow."

"Sure you will!" Alfred confirmed happily. "I'll be there, and if you're late again sir don't worry, I won't try ditching class."

"I really doubt that I'll be late again. I've learned my lesson now." Arthur replied with a small smirk, "Focus, remember? Heh, but it's good to hear you won't try to cut class again."

"Yeah, just keep your focus and you'll be alright!" Alfred beamed a smile again "And of course I won't cut classes, I try to please… Professor Arthur Kirkland isn't fond of class cutters, you know." He winked and laughed at his professor's stunned reaction at being thrown his own words back at him.

"Cheeky brat…" Arthur mumbled, and Alfred didn't know if the professor meant to say it out loud or not, but he still can't find himself offended whatsoever.

"I know, aren't I just great?" Alfred said with a grin, before finally letting go of the older man's hand which he didn't realize he was holding for that long, and making a run for it before the other guy slips hold of that intense annoyance he seemed to be holding back. "Bye! See you Professor! And make sure you finish your lunch!"

At that, he jogged in the direction of the main building with his head turned and his arm up in the air waving frantically to the professor he left by the chairs and tables of the cafe. He might've imagined it, but Alfred could swear he saw the Briton smile back at him from so far away. It made the trip to his next class so much lighter.

―X―X―X―

Before Alfred knew it, he was standing in front of room 411 where his next class, Chemistry 111 would take place. He looked at his watch to check the time again and found that he made it just in time. He opened the door and stepped inside the classroom. The seats were mostly taken already. Well, that's what he gets for not being in early in a class under one of the popular nicer professors in this university.

Thankfully, he spotted a friend waving over to him with a smile on his face and an empty seat by his side.

"Hey Al! Over here!" his Asian friend from Korea called out over the typical noise of a classroom without the professor. Alfred waved back and walked over.

"Hi Yong Soo! I see we have Chemistry together." Alfred greeted and laughed at the double meaning his words just had.

The Asian with short black hair and cheerful brown eyes snorted at Alfred's words. "You still have that sense of humor I see. Glad to know it didn't fade during summer!"

"Of course not!" Alfred said as he put down his backpack and seated himself beside his friend. "Summer was fun too. I managed to set up Professor Lyon and Anders! Locked them up in a broom closet." He then took out his burger and munched on it.

"I knew you've had a hand in their untimely demise aka marriage. Too bad I wasn't there to invent a better lock so they stayed trapped longer than eight hours."

"Hey, how did you know they were locked in for eight hours? Or that they're getting married?" Alfred asked in between his chewing "Did you hear about that from your cousin?"

"I didn't. You know Aniki doesn't meddle with his colleagues' personal lives unless they're close. And those two stuffy professors could only dream of being worthy of Aniki's friendship!" Yong Soo declared firmly.

"Yes, yes. We all know how high in the pedestal you've placed your cousin… And I guess he's nice, he likes teaching and he's good at it." Alfred replied before taking another bite of the burger.

"Saying he's good at teaching is more than just an understatement Alfred." Yong Soo said before gesturing vaguely around the full room. "The size of this class alone is enough proof that Aniki is a well in-demand professor. Plus, he's very nice to students. I can get five testimonials for you in just a snap of a finger."

"Okay I get the point, no need to go overboard." Alfred said, sometimes he forgets just actually how high Im Yong Soo's pedestal for his cousin is. "If you didn't hear from your cousin, where did you get the news?"

"I have my sources…" Yong Soo then trailed off with a smirk.

Okay, Alfred knew this game. The Korean just wanted him to act like he really wanted to know and whine for the Asian to tell him… But Alfred won't because the opposite works so much better. It took months for Alfred to realize that, but he was glad he did.

"Oh, okay then." Alfred replied turning away from his friend for a while as he finished off his food.

"What? Don't you want to know~?" Yong Soo asked teasingly…

"Not really, no…" Alfred answered as he crumpled the paper napkin to stuff it in his pocket. He started counting down. Five, four, three, two, one, and…

"Okay fine! Since you can't seem to live on without knowing I'll spill." The brunet said, right on cue.

Alfred smiled and turned back to show that he was giving the Korean his undivided attention. He was suddenly grabbed and shoved down to a crouch.

"See that girl? The one in pigtails?" Yong Soo whispered, pointing to a short girl in a blue dress with long dark hair up front the classroom.

Alfred managed a nod despite his head being forced down. Yong Soo continued, "She's a freshman, and she's also in my Creative Writing class two hours ago, since you know, Chem 111 and Creative Writing can be taken by mixed years since they have no prerequisite subjects. She said her name was Rachelle or it sounded like that anyway, and she announced in class recitation that she wanted to be a world class journalist."

Alfred struggled to get free of his friend's hold. As soon as he slipped free, he straightened his back and rolled his neck a bit. Yong Soo has quite a powerful grab…

"You heard about the marriage from her? And about how they got stuck in a broom closet for eight hours?" Alfred asked, just to make sure. Yong Soo responded with a nod. "Wow, she's a first year yet she knows of the events around campus that happened even before she arrived here. She really must be serious about becoming a journalist." Alfred kind of envied her for having a goal set up already.

"She seems enthusiastic about it at least." Yong Soo put in, "And the marriage was not the only news she brought to our class earlier."

"Oh? That girl sure has her game going on." But Alfred hoped she won't dabble in gossips too much. They don't make that big of an impression.

"Yeah, she also said that the couple resigned right after the wedding, and the Head Dean raked in a single person to take over their work."

"Ah, you mean Arthur Kirkland." Alfred said and he can't figure out why he was smiling as he said the professor's name.

"Yes, I remember Chelles saying that was the professor's name, from somewhere in UK I think." Yong Soo confirmed.

Alfred raised a brow at his friend, "You call her Chelles now?" he asked suggestively. "You move forward fast Yong Soo."

"Oh shut it Al. Her name's just too long so I shortened it." Yong Soo replied with a huff and the faintest of red on his cheeks.

"Okay, fine, I won't bug you about it." Alfred replied, he won't bug his friend because he'll let things develop on its own. "She's a pretty knowledgeable cookie. She even knows about Professor Kirkland."

"Which reminds me," Yong Soo said suddenly. "You've had your Math class before this right?"

Alfred nodded "My first afternoon class."

"How was it? I kind of wanted to have a head's up." Yong Soo said, looking expectantly at Alfred. "He's not as bad as the two professors he replaced is he?"

"Nah, far from it." Alfred said reassuringly "He's pretty interesting actually."

"Is he good at lectures?" Yong Soo asked, "Because half the time I couldn't understand what Professor Lyon was mumbling about."

"Well, we haven't started subject discussions." Alfred said, "There wasn't enough time for us earlier. But he gave us copies of the course outline so I can vouch that he takes teaching seriously and won't randomly mumble."

"Thank goodness!" Yong Soo breathed out, "I can't almost flunk Math again. Aniki won't be impressed and Kiku will laugh at my face!" The Korean then proceeded to cover said face with his hands.

"Kiku won't laugh at your face." Alfred said, not being able to picture his roommate laughing at anybody's misfortune. "I still don't understand why you don't get along with him… He's your cousin too."

"It's a long family story that I'd rather few people know of." Yong Soo responded with a wave of his hand brushing the topic away, and Alfred knew better than to pry this time. "So all the professor did was distribute the course outlines and he dismissed you right after? You lucky dogs."

"No he didn't." Alfred answered, even if the question from his friend was pretty rhetorical. "He was also nice enough to host a Q and A about the things we'll be taking up this semester… And as you can probably guess, the questions that came were nowhere near academic in nature."

"Ohoho, this should be good!" Yong Soo said, perking up. "So, what did they ask him?"

"The stereotype ones: where he's from, if it was true he was the replacement for two professors, why he's accepted the offer so abruptly, his seemingly young age, and if he has a girlfriend." Alfred said, recounting the questions he could remember his classmates asked "Out of all those he only answered the first two properly."

Yong Soo gave a laugh. "Well, if he was asked if he has a girlfriend, then he must be a looker."

His friend's words made Alfred think about it. Was Arthur Kirkland a looker? Did the man have a girlfriend back in England he was forced to leave? Did Alfred care?

"Well I guess Professor Kirkland is kind of…" 'cute' was the first thing that popped into his head, but describing a professor as such seemed not right so he settled for the second thing that came to him. "Handsome." Which oddly fit the professor very nicely too.

"Kind of handsome huh?" Yong Soo replied with a thoughtful look. "Well he better watch out. If he's interesting, a nice professor, and a looker, people might start going after him… And unlike Aniki, he doesn't have a creepy guidance councilor from Russia who keeps other stalkers away."

Alfred almost paled at the thought of people; students and professors alike, stalking his Mathematics professor. It won't be pretty if the man was constantly bugged by people striving for his attention. Alfred then took a silent oath of protecting the man from any threat that may lurk his way… He needed to be a hero… because who else cared a lot about the new Professor Kirkland but him, right?

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Alfred replied, trying to convince himself more so than his friend. "Say, when is your class with him anyway?" he asked trying to shift the topic to a more comfortable zone.

"I have that class after this one. I have it with one of the Vargas twins." Yong Soo answered.

"Which twin?" Alfred asked.

The students are all pretty much aware of who the Vargas twins were. They were these Italian sophomores who are related to the Head Dean, thus no one dare mess with them; a good thing too, because they seemed a bit…vulnerable. Alfred heard Feliciano frequently call the Head Dean 'Grandpa', which confused Alfred because he can't picture the Head Dean old enough to be grandfather. He's yet to let his curiosity get ahead of him and ask. A year has passed since then, that's a record for him.

"The grouchy one who refuses to acknowledge me as the inventor of ovens and pizzas." Yong Soo answered with a bitter tone in his voice. "Why can't it have been the other one who congratulated me and looked up to me when I declared I invented non-stick pans and pasta?"

Alfred laughs every time he hears that from Yong Soo. Today was not an exception.

"You can't have everything man." Alfred said as he contained his laughter. "Isn't it enough that you managed to secure a slot in this class? The line to sign up and enroll here was no joke. But you're here now right?"

"Of course I am! I won't miss Aniki's class!" the brunet exclaimed enthusiastically. And Alfred thought to himself that his Korean friend would've gone to unknown lengths

And as if on cue, the front door of the classroom opened and a slender, slightly short man with long black ponytailed hair, and soft brown eyes entered the room. He had a white lab coat on, probably for when he's performing chemical experiments, and the first thing he gave the students inside the room was a smile. Alfred could swear most of his classmates melted on the spot.

"Good afternoon!" the man greeted cheerfully enough. "I am Professor Wang Yao and this is Chemistry 111."

A chorus of varied greetings of 'good afternoon' met the Chinese man.

"The lectures we're going to have will tackle theories, and we'll have their application in experiments. Now, we'll be having our lectures in this room, but when we perform experiments, we'll be using Chemistry lab number two down on the first floor. Everyone please keep that in mind."

Heads nodded and that seemed to satisfy the Chemistry professor.

"I say this as early as now; each of you should have lab gowns ready for when we are scheduled to perform experiments. The goggles and rubber gloves will be provided in the labs. It is also mandatory that you have your own laboratory manual to record the experiments in. Is everything clear?"

The class gave the perfect imitation of well behaved angels as they answered in perfect unison:

"Yes, professor."

Professor Wang Yao gave a smile one would use when cute children one's babysitting do as told. "Very good. Now, let's get started, aru!"

And the introductory lecture about matter and atoms began… Alfred kept his attention on the discussion since there would be no distractions from his friend beside him anyway. Im Yong Soo was thoroughly fixed on his cousin's lecture, trying to get a response from him while he's like that was like trying to get a rock to talk.

Alfred remained a good student and took notes whenever it was needed. He's glad he managed to pilfer a slot in this class. The rumors about Professor Wang Yao being a great teacher were apparently true, and his teaching technique wasn't boring at all… There was just the tiny thing about the professor's habit of treating his students as little kids, but it can be easily overlooked.

Alfred spent the rest of Chemistry 111 completely focused… His thoughts were only wandering back to a certain blond professor every little once in a while.

―X―X―X―

The sun was already further west in the sky when Alfred got through all of his classes for the day. It wasn't sunset yet, but in an hour or so it would be. As Alfred walked down the path that would lead him to the building of the student dormitory, he idly wondered if the position of the sun had anything to do with why the sky suddenly seemed less impressive than when he'd last seen it.

Shrugging off the thought as he bounded inside the main entrance of the building, he walked towards the staircase that lead up the floors to the rooms. The building had five floors, and the first floor had fewer rooms than the other floors because there was a lobby and a student lounge on the ground floor. Alfred stopped by the trash can near the staircase to empty his pockets of the numerous burger wrappers he's accumulated in the day.

Each floor had different year level of students staying on them, with the fifth years (since they are least in number) occupying the ground floor, and the first years occupying the highest floor. The younger you are, the higher you are placed in the building, and since Alfred is a second year, his room is located at the fourth floor, with the third years below them on the third floor and the seniors staying on the second floor.

The students, especially the freshmen, have been requesting for an elevator to be built in their building. So far, the Head Dean said construction would begin this semester and would last for a month or less. This made the students happy... But for now, they would have to climb up and down the stairs like always. And Alfred did so.

Sometimes, especially when one's running late, it isn't a blast to climb down four or five flights of stairs just to get out of the building. The current freshmen are lucky that they're going to have an elevator this year. How many times had Alfred been late because of the long way down when he was still rooming on the fifth floor?

"I wonder if they have elevators in the staff dormitory?" he found himself thinking out loud.

Well that was a stupid question, of course they did. The professors don't have the same living arrangements as students… He snaps out of his thoughts when he realized he's nearing the door to his room. The shiny plate reading Db12 greeted him. He pulls out his key, attached to a hockey stick key chain he got as a gift, and turned the lock on the door.

When he opened the door, he was greeted by the smell of numerous spices and the sound of something sizzling in a pan, accompanied by "Ve, ve! Has anyone seen the Jalapeno Peppers?" and Alfred can only add things up to lead to one thing…

"Ah, Alfred! Welcome back!" a boy wearing a white apron with auburn hair with a wayward single strand curl and glistening brown eyes hidden by a perpetual smile greeted him from the small cooking area as Alfred stepped inside the room. Another young man with slicked back blond hair and serious looking blue eyes stepped beside the brunet and handed him a jar containing red things Alfred guessed were Jalapeno Peppers.

Feliciano and Ludwig have dropped by for a visit.

"Hello Feli! Ludwig!" Alfred greeted the two happily. "Haven't seen you guys since last semester. How've you been?"

"I've been great!" Feliciano answered cheerfully "But I can't talk now, I have a Fettuccini Carbonara waiting for me to finish it." With that, the brunet turned back to the sizzling pan and did what he does best.

The taller blond left Feliciano to his work and stepped near Alfred. Alfred smiled at his friend and Ludwig gave a small smile back… The American then remembered that jar Ludwig handed to their shorter Italian friend.

"Ludwig, does Fettuccini Carbonara have Jalapeno Peppers in it?" Alfred asked.

"No. Those were for Feliciano's brother. Apparently, he only uses homemade hot sauce." Ludwig answered, and Alfred wondered a bit if the German avoided saying said brother's name for some reason. Well, being verbally assaulted regularly by someone might have certain effects on a person, like maybe avoiding the mention of said verbally assaulter's name.

"Oh. For a moment there I thought Feliciano was going to make us eat experimental pasta." Alfred said relieved. "So, how've you been Ludwig? You're still part of KB club?"

"I've been doing fine." Ludwig answered evenly. "And yes, I'm still a member."

"Sweet!" Alfred said as he hung an arm around the other blonds' shoulder. "I'll see you there Thursday then."

And then, the door leading to the bedroom opened and out came another young man of noticeable Asian descent. He had a slender build, short neat black hair and serene looking brown eyes. He was carrying a box, balancing it very carefully and seemed to be avoiding doing any sudden movements. He looked up from the box and found Alfred standing by the main doorway with Ludwig.

"Ah, Alfred-kun, welcome back." The boy greeted with a soft smile as he slowly walked over the four-sitter dining table and set down his burden on it.

Alfred almost sighed at the honorific attached at the end of his name. Oh well, it was a great advancement from 'Alfred- _san_'. He'll just have to work the new honorific out of the other's system…again.

"Hey Kiku!" Alfred greeted his roommate back, "What's in the box?" he asked just because he was curious.

"They're just some plates I forgot to unpack last night." The black haired boy replied as he took out the said plates from the box. The plates were pretty, they were very white and have blue lines designed like flowers and vines on the side. They looked shiny and expensive too.

"Those are some nice plates." Alfred commented as he and Ludwig approached the table to help their friend sort the porcelains.

"Thank you. They're from… Professor Wang Yao." Kiku replied, and Alfred wondered a bit at the pause in his roommate's words before mentioning his cousin's name.

"I see, that's nice of him." Alfred answered with a smile. Kiku answered with a small nod.

Soon, they got all the plates out of the box and Ludwig volunteered on placing the extra ones on the cupboard by the counter. Alfred had a feeling that the German only did so because he wanted to arrange the plates in his own methodical way… Or maybe spend time with Feliciano alone. Both are equal possibilities.

"Alfred-kun, I hope you don't mind that I invited my friends over and are using the stove. Did you plan on using it tonight?" Kiku asked looking worried.

Alfred feels bad at that. Why did his roommate always fret of causing him some kind of trouble in some kind of way? Even with his constant reassurances, the Japanese boy still can't seem to shake off the old habit… But wait. At least this time around, there were no automatic apologies. He can consider that as some kind of progress right?

"Of course I don't mind Kiku! Any friend of yours only deserves to be welcome in _our_ room" (_our;_ as in mine and _yours_). "Besides, they're my friends too." Alfred replied and was glad to see his roommate letting go of his worries and was starting to smile.

"And as for my plan of using the stove…" Alfred continued. He then increased the volume of his voice to make sure it carries to the small cooking area of their room "I can totally overlook it if Feliciano cuts me a portion of that pasta!"

Of course, the instant, absolutely predictable, and automatic answer from Feliciano Vargas's cheerful voice rang clear throughout the dorm room from the corner of the kitchenette.

"There's enough pasta for everyone!"

Ah, sometimes Alfred thinks the little Italian kid thought he could cure world hunger with pasta…Which was just ridiculous…

Because hamburgers are already doing a good enough job at that.

Alfred gave another smile to his shorter roommate. "There you have it, problem solved!" he gestured to the plates remaining on the table top. "So, think I can help fixing the table?"

Kiku smiled back at him and nodded his head "Yes, thank you."

And the table was set in no time, which was a good thing because if they had taken any second longer, Feliciano would have beaten them by serving his finished Fettuccini Carbonara first.

The Italian boy would've been so excited at serving pasta and never noticed if there were no plates set to serve it on and make a total mess at the table that Ludwig will feel obliged to take care of, while Feliciano apologizes like the wind. Such a duo those two make. Add Kiku who always say 'it's fine, please don't mind' yet sometimes gives you this feeling like he'll declare war anytime, and you'll have an unusual but terribly close trio set of friends.

"Ittadakemasu." Kiku said solemnly before picking up his fork and starting on his meal. It was a tradition that the young man kept from his roots.

The three others seated at the table gave their affirmatives, the Italian's and the American's more pronounced than the German's, before they also picked up their respective forks... This was nice. It was rare that Alfred was able to have meals with people he cared about. Maybe this afternoon's lunch was the start of a lucky break or something.

"So, what's the occasion?" Alfred asked after he swallowed his first mouthful of Feliciano's killer pasta.

"Alfred-kun, you know Feliciano doesn't need an occasion as an excuse to make pasta." Kiku reminded him, and Alfred laughed his agreement.

"Ve, Kiku's right!" Feliciano exclaimed, "But this time, we do happen to have something to celebrate!"

"Really? What?" Alfred asked.

"The new elevator!" Feliciano announced.

Alfred blinked… "But the elevator won't be coming for a month or so… Right?" Well, maybe it wasn't and Feliciano was right. He may have news ordinary students aren't aware about, being the Head Dean's relative and all.

"That's right." Feliciano confirmed with a smile. It left Alfred more confused.

Thankfully, Ludwig seemed to catch on that the other blond in the room was having troubles understanding the reason for their little celebratory dinner.

"You see Alfred," Ludwig started, "by this time next month we'll be buried in work and have no chance for celebrations until spring vacation."

"Feliciano opted we celebrate while we are still able." Concluded Kiku from beside him.

"Makes a lot of sense." Alfred said before taking another mouthful of pasta. "And delicious pasta by the way Feli!"

"Thanks Alfred! I'm happy that you like it." Feliciano answered as he beamed a smile.

"I agree with Alfred-kun, your cooking is as wonderful as always Feliciano." Kiku added and smiled at his friend.

"Thank you Kiku." Said the auburn haired young man, smiling back.

Three pairs of eyes turned to stare at the only occupant of the room left to not have said something about the pasta. Alfred almost laughed at the pressured look Ludwig got when he realized that the stares he was being given weren't going to go away until he commented about the food. Now, in the past year that he's met Ludwig, Alfred pretty much figured the serious young man wasn't made for talking too much, that's why he and Feliciano, who talks a lot, complemented each other well… But it never got old to pressure the German into expressing awkward things in words.

Ludwig cleared his throat before opening his mouth and saying "Yes… Delicious."

And Feliciano visibly lit up like a lamp. "Ve, that's great!"

And dinner went on… Conversation continued; in during which Alfred found out that the other three around the table were having five of their classes together, since Feliciano claimed it as his duty to drag the other two around the lines when the signing up for classes began. And well, since both Kiku and Ludwig aspire to get into the Engineering field, and Feliciano wants to be an Architect, the subjects they're taking are related to each others'.

"Wait, so you guys are in Sociology S-2?" Alfred asked the three.

"Yes." Kiku answered the American.

"That's so cool. I'm there too! We have a class together." Alfred replied. It was an a.m. class so they didn't get to meet earlier, but tomorrow they probably will, and it's nice to have friends on the same class.

"Oh great!" Feliciano agreed. "I heard that the professor that will be teaching our Sociology class is that nice professor from Finland! They say he gets his students presents every Christmas!"

"Woah! Such a generous professor really exists?" Alfred asked excitedly.

"I wouldn't get too excited; rumors are just rumors after all." Ludwig said, interrupting the fun. Feliciano and Alfred looked disappointed, the former more so than the latter. "But… Maybe he is." And the mood (Feliciano's) lightened up again.

"Nice professors are rare to come by, but our university has at least some." Kiku said, contributing to the conversation.

"Yeah," Alfred agreed and started naming some of the nice educators "there's Professor Wang, Professor Gilbert, the adviser of the Student Gardeners Organization…what's his name again?"

"Professor Carriedo." Ludwig supplied helpfully.

"That's it, Professor Cairredo!" Alfred said, snapping his fingers "Professor Bonnefoy's alright too I think, most girls seem to have great opinions about him anyway."

"Ve, he was Grandpa's former student!" Feliciano added smiling.

"I see." Alfred replied. You learn something new every day… then continued on with his enumeration "There's also Professor Zwingli who I still think gives way too much work to students but is still respected, and his polar opposite Professor Karpusi who gives the students so little assignments but apparently still manages to teach World Literature properly."

"I have my World Literature class under him in section S-1." Kiku commented.

"Seriously?" Alfred asked wide-eyed. His roommate gave a nod. "Nice! I'm in S-1 for World Lit too! We'll be classmates there as well."

"Ve, this is great huh?" Feliciano asked suddenly, "We all get classes under the nice professors!"

"Yeah, I'd really rather have all my classes under worthwhile professors like them." Alfred agreed, then his mind took a turn and he said, "Like Arthur Kirkland."

The Briton was definitely one for the list. He hadn't even taught a lecture yet and Alfred already feels like the new professor is amazing at his work. And he seemed pretty interesting and fun. After lunch earlier, Alfred can't wait to see the Professor at class tomorrow. He's healed of his jitters now, thanks to Alfred, and hopefully that will allow pull the Professor's full potential right out… And he has such lovely eyes too.

"Arthur Kirkland?" Ludwig asked, and Alfred snapped out of his thoughts.

"Ah, yeah... He's the new Math professor. He teaches both freshmen and sophomores." Alfred answered.

"I heard of him from Grandpa too." Feliciano remarked "He said another former student of his would be coming to work here. And Lovino's already had a class under him this afternoon."

Oh, so the Professor Kirkland had a connection with the Head Dean too. Maybe that was why he was found from all the way across England by the university… If he was also Professor Vargas's former student, maybe he knew Professor Bonnefoy before he got here. They must be from the same college; the one the Head Dean taught in before being in charge of the Alexander University… Alfred can't help but wonder how close the two professors were, and was a bit surprised at the bitterness the thought came with.

As an attempt to discontinue his current train of thought, Alfred asked, "Did Lovino mention how his class went?"

Feliciano gave a series of enthusiastic nods. "Ve, he said they started on functions already. Lovi also said that with the rate they're going it might be finished by the next class."

Alfred lighted up at the news. It looked like Professor Kirkland is really over his nerves since he taught a class and all seemed to go smoothly. "Did your brother have any comment about the Professor?"

Feliciano nodded again. "Yes, Lovino said that the new professor 'isn't half bad'."

"'Isn't half bad'… Those were his exact words?" Alfred asked and Feliciano yet again nodded.

If Alfred were to convert the way Lovino's awful attitude at measuring people's capabilities to that of a normal person, then the words 'isn't half bad' would roughly equal to… 'Absolutely amazing'. Wow, that's a pretty big complement for someone's first class.

"That's a pretty big complement to receive from Lovino-kun." Kiku said, and Alfred wondered if everyone in the room was thinking the same thing… From the look of disbelief in Ludwig's face and the thoughtful one on Feliciano's, they were.

"Ve! I think so too. Professor Kirkland must also be a great professor." Feliciano said, confirming half of Alfred's guess… And then all of the sudden, Feliciano stood up from his chair. "Ve! Oh no! I forgot the time!"

"You need to go already?" Alfred asked. True, they were finished eating a while ago, but it still seemed abrupt… Or maybe he just got way into the conversation and lost track of time.

Alfred looked at the digital watch strapped to his left wrist… What do you know, it was the second option.

"Yes, I'm sorry but Lovino expects me to deliver back the Jalapenos. We're going to make the hot sauce tonight." The Italian explained to the other occupants of the table. "And if I don't get back soon Lovi's going to wonder where I am and make calls. And I worry a lot for Ludwig's hearing."

"I get it." Alfred said, also standing up from his chair. Ludwig and Kiku followed suit. "I guess the two of you better get going now."

"I can stay and help with the dishes." Ludwig put in, ever possessing the soul of a true cleaner.

Kiku answered him with a shake of his head "No, I can handle the dishes fine Ludwig. You go and make sure Feliciano doesn't drop that jar. You wouldn't want to risk Lovino-kun's wrath." Ludwig looked like he was beginning to reconsider.

"You guys go on ahead. We can handle the clean up." Alfred added. "Thanks for the pasta, it was great. Next time I hope another elevator gets built so we can celebrate again."

"Silly Alfred," Feliciano said with a smile. "You don't need an occasion as excuse for having a celebration. Friendship is enough of an event."

And that left Alfred thinking that maybe all the _summa cum laude_ that this university had can only dream of becoming as smart as Feliciano Vargas…

After that, they ushered Ludwig and Feliciano together with the jar of Jalapeno Peppers out of the room, cleared the table and washed the dished by hand since Kiku seemed to really treasure them. As Alfred was waiting for his roommate to finish wiping dry with a cloth the last of the plates, he let habit take over him as he asked:

"So, up for some videogames?"

The Japanese boy regarded him as he placed the last of the plates carefully in the cupboard. "I'm sorry Alfred-kun, but we have this assignment in Accounting that Professor Zwingli asked us to hand in tomorrow. I'm going to have to pass."

"What did I tell you? Professor Zwingli really knows how to utilize labor." Alfred replied. He then gave a smile and a thumb's-up to his roommate. "Well good luck with your assignment. I think I'll hit the hay with the good ol' PSP and wait until I get sleepy… Let's play some other time 'kay?"

"Sure" Kiku replied with a smile of his own.

After Alfred completed his pre-bed routines, he rummaged through his bedside drawer for his handy dandy Play Station Portable™ and threw himself on the bed dressed in his sleep-wear, consisting of a fresh white T-shirt and comfy boxers, which may or may not have UFO's printed on them.

Alfred turned on the handheld gaming console and the fancy light show began, which his fingers accompanied in a perfect harmonious dance of shooting down enemies and leveling up like crazy. He was thankful that none of his afternoon classes gave them assignments that needed to be handed in immediately. He didn't feel like doing papers and looking up references tonight. He was in a much too good mood to ruin it with school work… He crams pretty well anyway.

Tonight Alfred just wanted to focus on letting loose and having fun while they were still early in the semester and work hasn't piled up to his cowlick yet… And what better way to kick back than indulge in a videogame that rots your brain?―rather he means, promote critical and strategic thinking, right?

After seven levels of villain bashing and being a total hero (in a game or not it's the same thing). Alfred finally felt his eyes getting heavy and his mind clouding up in a haze. Before sleep completely overtook him, he managed to remove his glasses and place them in his bedside drawer-cabinet. He barely managed to hit the save button of the game, but his was already half asleep when he thought he turned off the console. His sleepy mind argued that he can always just recharge the batteries if they run out anyway.

His blue eyes drifted close and the last thought he had was that Math class will be so much fun tomorrow and he can't wait to see his professor in real action… After that, darkness overtook his vision, before it was replaced by the brightest emeralds he's so familiar with even if he just saw them today.

The PSP weakly grasped by Alfred's sleeping hand flashed with his character on the screen. The game was on pause... And Alfred must've been focused elsewhere when instead of the usual 'Alfred J.' that he uses to name his characters; the name on the LCD above the lead character's head read 'Arthur K.' instead.

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Xai's Corner: My dentist said she'll have to remove my wisdom teeth…all four of them. I know it'll hurt, but I still can't get myself to accept it… Lookit! I finally finished chapter two! Hurray Me!...

Sorry about the wait, I've been busy with dentist appointments and I just enrolled for the next semester of my school. I will be majoring now! Take that crummy Integral Calculus! I so have you PWND!... Anyway, I hope you people understand all the delay I'm having with updates. I just really can't promise exact dates… Reviews make my day, so please, please, _please,_ find it in your heart to comment about my crummy writing. All reviews will be loved and treasured better then KIku cares for his pretty plates! =) signed ones are guaranteed replies; I'll just take a few hours to sleep mkay?

Time Check: 4:43 am. Early bird or what?

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_Next Chapter:_

_Sometimes, it takes an eternity to establish connections between people. Sometimes, it happens in a blink of an eye._


	4. Hampered Bonds

Author's note: Will you look at that? I'm still alive… I guess this is the proper time when I warned during the Prologue that updates might get slow is applied… I'm trying my hardest to find spare time to work on this especially now that school's started where I'm from… Well, of course as usual, I would like to say **thanks to my reviewers, my readers, and all the people who listed Answer Key among their favorite stories**. I keep feeling overwhelmed every time I think back to you wonderful people!

This chapter can be explained in one word: Conflict. Aside from my own conflict of schedules in finding time to work on this, I also… well, you'll understand when you read the chapter. ;)

Warning: Hmm… I think there's nothing in particular to warn about in this chapter….Aside from my usual grammar errors that is. Seriously, I need to find time to proofread what I post. Meh, maybe some other day.

Disclaimer: The wonderful series that is Axis Powers Hetalia belongs to its rightful owners… I get a turn in my dreams though.

Edited: January 1, 2011. Haha, such a nice thing to achieve on the start of the New Year. I finally tweaked this chappy and tried my best to get it in some semblance of order so that people don't cringe so much they nearly die because of my fail when they read it.

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Answer Key

By Synxailla

Chapter Three "Hampered Bonds"

_Sometimes, it takes an eternity to establish connections between people. Sometimes, it happens in a blink of an eye._

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Upon pushing open the elegant stained glass door of the faculty room, Arthur felt his headache worsening. He went online last night to browse the internet for some refreshers on high school Algebra to get a view of where his college freshmen students will be coming from since his first class for the day would be with first years and they'll be starting college Algebra, Math 101. It was going smoothly, until his mother went online as well and started sending him instant messages one after the other.

Don't get him wrong, he loved and cared a great deal for his mother, but sometimes she can be a bit… well, too much. And she has no notion at all of the time difference between England and the current place he was on. She kept on asking questions; silly pointless questions (how are you? Did you pack enough warm clothes for the winter? Is the place you're staying at equipped with proper plumbing?), until the wee hours of the night and a good part of the early morning.

He didn't think twice about answering because that's the right thing for a good son to do, answer your mother's questions properly and not complain (nor remind her, and _never_ correct her, unless you want the waterworks to burst) that you had work tomorrow and sleep was sort of needed in order to perform well, otherwise there will be a large possibility of acquiring a migraine in the morning.

He tried to shake it off as he walked towards his still pretty bare table. He hadn't exactly had time to litter it with anything. The few paperwork slowly starting to build up, were neatly stacked inside the table drawers and he had no plans of decorating the wooden surface with trinkets anytime soon… Maybe he'll reconsider doing it next week, when hopefully, he'll feel more at ease around this room.

Yes, Arthur will admit. It's been two days since he started his work as a new professor in Alexander University, making this morning as the beginning of his third day, and thus far he didn't feel completely comfortable inside the faculty room… It was just too big and there were too many people whom he has yet to officially meet.

Well, sure the other professors seemed nice. He's even familiar with some faces from back in the university employees' dorm building… But he'd never been an expert in the socializing department ever since he was little so he hadn't made a move to make acquaintances other than those professors here that normally talked to him first.

And those professors happened to be the Frog with his two friends. Arthur supposed they were an okay bunch of people too, but they have the tendency to be boisterous and overbearing especially when together, and they were almost always together when they came to bug―er, see how Arthur's doing, except for Bonnefoy who seemed to be more frequent in his solo visits than the other two…

The thought that Arthur had only managed to become properly acquainted with three people out of all the many others in the giant faculty room was sad, add thinking one of those three was Francis Bonnefoy and that just made the thought depressing.

Maybe it was time Arthur took a step in broadening the set of people on his social list. The opportunity presented itself when the Mathematics professor fell in step beside a slowly trudging co-professor.

The man was taller than Arthur, with tousled brown hair and teal-colored eyes half-lidded, making it look as if the other just woke up and the bed was still calling out to him. Arthur recognized the man as Professor Heracles Karpusi. And if his memory served him right, the brunet taught world literature (which, in Arthur's opinion is a wonderful course).

Antonio also mentioned the other professor was of Grecian descent from his mother, who was a single parent and raised Heracles on her own. When Arthur asked how Antonio knew that, the Spaniard smiled and shrugged saying they had conversations here and there… Apparently the true origin of the rumor about the greenhouse being a napping area for professors originated from another brunet.

"Good morning." Arthur tried his hand at greeting his colleague. He also threw in a smile, or as much of a smile he could manage around his headache without turning it into a grimace.

The other turned to face him and the slow walk Professor Karpusi was taking stopped altogether, making Arthur stop his steps too. For a seemingly long while, the other professor just stood there and regarded Arthur with droopy eyes that blinked slowly once in every while. Before the situation could get any more pointlessly awkward for Arthur, the Greek finally got around to responding.

"Ah." It might've been an exclamation of comprehension but it sounded dull "You're the new guy… Arthur… Kinland?"

"It's _Kirkland_ actually." Arthur corrected brushing away the feeling of annoyance. The man in front of him looked thoroughly sleepy so the mistake was understandable. "Arthur Kirkland… And you are Professor Heracles Karpusi, am I correct?"

The brunet answered with a slow nod. "Yes… And you live beside me."

"Pardon?" Arthur asked, confused.

"If the luggage I saw those people hauling in next door a couple of days ago was yours… Then I guess you're my new neighbor." At that the Literature professor managed a drowsy smile.

And then Arthur realized that this man was also familiar because he'd seen him around the fourth floor corridor of the professor's dorm building. He just never figured Heracles was his next-door neighbor even after two nights of staying in the place. Gods, what did that say about his social life?

"Oh, I see. I apologize for not introducing myself sooner." Arthur replied. "I should've at least made a call to your room as your new neighbor."

"That's fine. You would've just gotten answered by Nyancy since I mostly sleep while in my room." Heracles then continued on walking, this time, his pace was a bit livelier.

"Nyancy?" Arthur asked as he too started to step forward again.

"My cat…" Heracles answered. "One of the few I have. She likes hanging around the front door, waiting for a knock to come."

"I didn't know we're allowed to keep pets." Arthur mused.

"Oh at first we weren't. I actually had to sneak the kitties in back then." Heracles replied with a small nostalgic smile. "But when the new Head Dean took over some years ago, the rules changed and professors were allowed pets." And his smile turned happy.

Well then, it seemed Professor Vargas made a lot of changes to this University when he took the seat of power. First the merging of the faculty in a room, and then allowing pets. It seemed like all the changes were… unusual, but they had all led to smiles so they couldn't be wrong. That's what Arthur's Mum would say.

"Only professors?" Arthur asked. "How about the students?"

"The board of directors didn't yield." The Greek explained sounding a bit down "They still aren't allowed to keep pets."

"I see…" Arthur had to take a moment to erase the image of a dog playing fetch happily with one of his students… A blond, blue-eyed student with a big, happy, confident smile who kept popping in his thoughts for some time now, and whom he won't go as far as name even in his head.

His attention was jerked back to the present when he noticed he'd followed Heracles to the Literature Department's part of the faculty room. The table they were standing in front of was littered with historical and mythological books along with many classical literatures… Arthur's first love was staring him back right in the eye.

"That's my Nyancy." A voice from beside him said, taking his attention away from the impressive, albeit untidy stack of books. Arthur looked and noticed Heracles pointing to somewhere beside the books.

Following the index finger of the other professor, Arthur saw a framed picture of an orange kitten being held up gently by a pair of hands; a bit small, pale and thin to be Heracles'. "She's grown since I was given her, that picture was taken nearly a year ago." The owner of the frame said.

"She's… adorable." Arthur replied, pausing briefly to look for the proper adjective.

The Briton then noticed other pictures of cats pinned on the wall next to Heracles' table. Unlike Nyancy though, there were no hands holding the other cats up and their pictures weren't framed. There were many, easily over a dozen. "Are they all yours?" Arthur asked.

"Yes." The taller professor answered with a nod. Arthur wondered why there was only one cat whose picture was framed, maybe Nyancy was a favorite of some kind… But before he could ask anything, Heracles added, "Actually no… But they were mine."

That tore Arthur's eyes away from admiring the many cat posters back to the brunet beside him. He saw Heracles giving the pictures an almost sad smile.

"Uhm…When you say 'were'?" Those cats haven't passed on to the next plane…have they?

"I mean I don't have them with me anymore. I've found them new owners."

"You gave them away?" Arthur couldn't help the slight disbelieving tone that crept in his voice.

"Mm-hmm. I can't take care of them all. I usually look for other people willing to take them in. I keep five or so with me at a time…and that's already a lot of work." Heracles said with a smile. And Arthur figured the man acts as some kind of foster owner for stray cats.

"I suppose taking care of pets would be." Arthur agreed, and then his eyes drifted back to the table and the single framed photograph on it. "…But, you've had Nyancy for almost a year now, right?" Did no one want the orange kitty? She seemed very cute to Arthur.

"Oh, well you see, I don't plan on giving her away." Heracles explained as he too looked at the frame on top of his table. His drowsy eyes softened before he added, "She's…special."

Arthur couldn't help but stare at his next-door neighbor. The way he said those words didn't leave space for any arguments. Heracles was being true and sincere. The Literature professor really did believe that the orange cat was special. He couldn't help but feel that there's a story behind it. But seeing as he'd only just had his first conversation with the brunet, he supposed it would be out of place for him to suddenly ask a personal question.

"Then you'll take good care of her." Arthur said, his tone of voice restating a fact. "It was nice talking with you Professor Karpusi."

"Call me Heracles," the other said as his teal eyes left the frame to regard Arthur once more. "I think some people find it awkward to call me by my last name… And we do live next-door to each other…"

"Of course. Feel free to call me by my first name too." Arthur replied with a smile. "I'd best be going now. I still have some handouts to sort. Thank you for your time."

With that, Arthur took his leave and Heracles raised a hand to wave him goodbye. The same hand rose to cover a yawn a few seconds later…

Talking with the other professor was pleasant. And it left Arthur with one more name to add to his list of colleague acquaintances. Hearing about Nyancy was nice too.

Arthur really wasn't a pet lover of any kind, but seeing other people being made happy by little fuzzy creatures was a good thing, and the little orange fur ball with wide eyes seemed to be doing just that with Heracles. She's the favorite kitty out of all the others.

"Maybe…it's fine to have favorites…" Arthur murmured absently to himself as he walked… When the same blue eyed student made his way into Arthur's thoughts, the Mathematics professor had to shake his head to be rid of him. What has gotten into him? Honestly, he's a professor! A medium for spreading academic excellence! They are not supposed to play favorites with any student…

Maybe he should've had taken his attention off the enthusiastic and clever boy. It can't be right to place him above his classmates, right?

'_Even if the student helped a lot in boosting your buried-six-feet-under morale when you needed it?' _an annoying voice inside his head asked, and Arthur found himself unable to argue…

When he reached his table, his migraine was back to throbbing full force. He collapsed hard on his padded office chair, then laid his arms crossed on the table and buried his head face down on their crook. His mind a tangled aching mess… It was a good thing he usually made it a point to come to work an hour earlier than his first class so he'll have time to try and tone down the ache, or at least have time to get used to it enough.

Arthur stayed like that for a while, willing the headache and confusing thoughts away. He heard footsteps of other faculty members come and go and paid them no heed… He only considered righting his slumped form when the set of footsteps he heard nearing his table stopped right in front of him. He then felt like he was being stared at.

When his mental chant of _'go away, go away'_ didn't work, he felt compelled to lift his head and look at the person staring at him. Arthur guessed it would be Francis, Antonio, or maybe Gilbert, here to inquire about his unusual behavior of napping at work… But when his vision cleared, he was met with blinking golden brown eyes which he was one hundred percent sure didn't belong to any of the three.

"You look a bit pale. Are you feeling sick, aru?"

The voice sounded of genuine concern. The man that asked Arthur had long dark brown hair, it almost looked black, tied in a low ponytail that slipped over a slender shoulder as the other tilted his head at an angle while crouching down to peek closer at Arthur.

The slender man was wearing a white lab coat over his corporate attire. It complemented his fair complexion and made his dark hair and eyes stand out all the more... Arthur had to admit, the guy looked…pretty (was that word even allowed to be used when describing a man?).

For a moment or two, Arthur just stared up to the newcomer, trying to think past the throbbing inside his skull. Then, he remembered that the person standing in front of his table asked him something. He mentally slapped himself for being unmindful of his manners and staring… A migraine was no excuse to ignore proper etiquette.

"It's nothing, just a little headache." Arthur replied and tried a smile…this time, he was sure it turned into a grimace.

The man in front of him frowned and leaned in to inspect Arthur closer, the Briton flinched a bit. It took Arthur's aching brain a while to remember that he was also familiar with this man from the corridors of the professors' dorms. And from the tour and briefing he was given a couple of days ago, he remembered Francis mentioning a Chemistry Professor from China that had long hair and stunning looks. This must be him…now what was his name again…?

"Maybe you should take something for that." The Chinese said softly, Arthur had trouble guessing if the man was talking to him or himself. "Have you had your breakfast?" the man asked in a much clearer voice, so this time Arthur was certain the other was talking to him. He remembered Francis mentioning the other man's name as Wang Yao.

"Yes." Arthur answered thinking back to those toasts that were a _teeny tiny bit_ on the burnt side and four cups of tea. He nodded slowly, lest he made the aching of his head worse by doing sudden movements…

"You didn't drink any alcoholic beverages last night did you?" Wang Yao asked again, "You're not hangover or anything?"

Arthur answered "No." with a small frown…

The question bothered him a bit because he's the type to be prone to hangovers, among other things (such as talk nonstop about things he can't remember come morning) because of alcohol; which was why he tried avoiding drinking as much as he could… Yes, sometimes alcohol can be a bit too tempting, but his answer of _no_ remained true. (For the current event anyway)

A cool hand, slender and gentle and smelling faintly of oolong tea landed on Arthur's forehead before he even realized the man in front of his table had moved. His brain seemed too tired to mind the breaching of personal space at the time, so Arthur allowed the pretty man to check his forehead… Besides, there was something about Wang Yao that just made the man seem like a natural mother hen.

"Well, your temperature is a bit warm." Yao murmured as the hand he placed on Arthur's temple slowly retracted. "But it doesn't seem like a fever starting to break or anything, aru."

Arthur managed an intelligent "Erm…" in reply.

The Asian reached a hand inside one of his pristine lab-coat's pockets and pulled out a small strip of aluminum foil and clear plastic which Arthur vaguely recognized contained small pink tablets. Yao held out the medicine to Arthur and waited for the blond professor to take them.

After a brief deliberation, most of which happened with Arthur's not-so-pain-free head barely registering anything, he reached out and took the tablets from the offering hand. He held them in front of his face and read the label.

"Those are aspirins, aru." Yao said, reciting what Arthur made out from the generic label of the medicine. "They are blood thinners, but they should work fine since you have no alcohol in your system, and you've had breakfast so your gastric acids won't react violently when you take them."

Arthur couldn't help the flush of embarrassment from the feeling of being looked after like a child by a protective older sibling… It was a new feeling, and it was sort of…nice, a bit embarrassing, but still nice. He briefly wondered how come this person, whom he'd never even had a minor exchange of pleasantries with before, was so nice to him…? He guessed it was just in the other's nature to look out for others.

Arthur figured he should be grateful…"Uhm, thank―"

"Oh, and it's important you remember to never take them on an empty stomach, aru." Yao hurriedly added, interrupting Arthur mid-sentence.

The Chemistry Professor reached in again inside a pocket of his lab-coat and this time, his hand emerged holding a small pack of crackers and a couple of sweets. (Arthur was starting to wonder what else the dark-haired man had stocked in those pockets.) Yao also gave the factory-manufactured food to Arthur. "Make sure you eat at least those before taking aspirin again in the next three hours, alright?"

Before Arthur could nod or give any sort of indication he understood, another set of footsteps approached his table. His emerald eyes looked up and he saw Professor Vash Zwingli making his way over.

"Good morning Professor Wang, Professor Kirkland." The Swiss professor greeted the other two with a nod and a straight face. Arthur figured out early on that Vash wasn't a particularly smiley person, but he was polite, so it wasn't hard to be civil with him

Wang Yao looked at the newcomer, his expression momentarily flashed with wary apprehension and then he broke into a smile that completely went against the skeptic look he briefly had on his good-looking face before.

"Good morning Vash!" Yao greeted happily enough, Arthur guessed his headache was making him see things earlier.

"Good morning." Arthur also greeted back, trying to follow the Chinese's man example of being ethical... His voice sounded weak to him.

"You don't sound too good Arthur… Is something the matter?" The other blond asked. Apparently, Arthur's voice sounded weak to others too.

"Oh, everything's quite fine." Arthur replied, trying his best to sound energetic. He didn't want another person to be disclosed about his being under the weather. Vash raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, everything is fine." Yao agreed with a smile "Arthur just have this massive headache, but I gave him advice, along with medicine and treats, so he'll be alright!" Arthur can't help but think that the smile the Asian gave turned a bit… smug...? "I'd love to stay and chat, but I need to check the laboratory for my first class. I'll be going ahead." He nodded to both blonds before turning to the general direction of the door, intent on leaving.

"Oh, wait!" Arthur exclaimed to the retreating professor. When the other turned with a questioning look on his face, Arthur floundered a while as his hurting head tried to process what he was going to say…And then he remembered, "Thank you…" he said with a bit of red staining his face.

Arthur didn't know what reaction he was expecting…maybe a simple smile and a 'you're welcome'... But what he got from Yao was a taken aback look; golden brown eyes widening, and small mouth parting in what seemed like surprise, as if the dark-haired man wasn't used to being thanked for his efforts and nice treatment of others.

Well if isn't that silly…

"Don't mention it." Yao finally managed to reply as his shock dissipated. He gave another smile before walking off. Arthur watched as the lab-coat clad back got farther and farther away through the throngs of tables and professors.

"He's a bit fussy, isn't he?" Vash remarked, taking Arthur's attention.

"No he isn't." Arthur replied and Vash just gave him a straight look… "Well…maybe a little." Arthur admitted, "But he's full of good intention." His green eyes drifted to the medicine and 'treats' on his table top.

"That may be so, but sometimes he's too soft on people… Especially on his students" Vash gave a sigh, and Arthur was beginning to think that wary look that passed on Yao's face earlier was not just a figment of his imagination. "I keep suggesting he rethink the way he interacts with the kids, but…" another sigh, this time with a shake of his head. "So, you're suffering from a headache?"

"Um, yes…" Arthur decided to go with the subject change even if it cost admitting of his condition, he figured the previous topic they were on would've led to more awkward conversation. "It's not that bad though." He jerked his head up to try a grin but it faltered before it even got to form since a sharp ache drilled his skull and Arthur flinched then cradled his forehead in his hand.

"Hmm… Well, it looks bad enough to me." Vash said after examining Arthur's pained expression and sunken eyes.

"No, really, I'm fine." Arthur insisted.

"You should take better care of your health." Vash began, and Arthur couldn't shake the feeling he was going to get lectured. "They say health is wealth, but you should know better; good health is more than any amount of wealth can give. We only have one body and if that gives, then it's all over… Do you understand?" Arthur received a stern look from a set of lime green eyes.

"I…I understand…" Arthur replied, and fervently hoped that had satisfied the other professor. He wasn't really in the mood to enter any arguments right then.

Professor Zwingli studied him for a moment before easing up a little. "Good… Then you know that if you feel absolutely awful, you should go back to your room and use one of your sick days to rest up."

"W-what?" Arthur asked, far too surprised at the suggestion to even notice his stutter. The Swiss professor's look remained stern.

"That is the most practical way to deal with this." Vash stated in a matter-of-fact way. "If you force yourself and work today, your condition would just get in the way of your performance, leading to an inefficient exert of effort on your part."

"But…" Arthur began, searching his mind for something to say in his defense. "I am not in such a bad condition that I won't be able to conduct lectures properly. I've taught students before in far worse states." Which was true, and skipping work never crossed his mind as an option. "I would really hate to miss a class day. That would force me to make adjustments on my time-related course outlines."

"And here I thought you understood how important taking care of your own health is…" The other said with a disappointed sigh. "If you push yourself, your headache might turn into something worse and that will lead to more serious problems and loss of work hours in the near future… Now, isn't that more awful than missing one day of work?"

"But… But…" Arthur mentally cursed his migraine. It seemed to hamper his proper flow of thoughts that didn't relate to his lesson plans. He was beginning to fret that he would lose this argument and be forced to admit defeat by going back to his room and taking a day off.

As Arthur was frantically turning words over in his blond head that would seem like a proper reply and didn't sound like a whine (_I want to go to my classes, dammit!_) so he can get the practical professor off his case, a blur suddenly appeared and materialized itself to be Gilbert Beilschmidt… It seemed announcing his presence like a normal person with audible footsteps was beneath the albino.

"Gilbert!" Arthur exclaimed with relief, maybe this would help him get out of the topic on hand. Gilbert proved eccentric enough to be adequate distraction most of the time.

"Yo Arthur!" Gilbert greeted with a wide grin. The multi-field professor also grinned at the Swiss professor that stood beside him. "So, what are you guys up to?" he asked as he slung an arm over Vash's shoulders. Arthur paid that behavior no mind since Gilbert usually was a touchy feely, in a friendly way (not perverted like some French he knows) kind of guy.

He missed the uncharacteristic possessive squeeze Gilbert's arm made around the shorter professor.

"Arthur here is being difficult." Vash replied evenly as he removed Gilbert's arm from around him.

"Really? Being difficult how?" Gilbert asked before placing his arm again on Vash's shoulder.

"He refuses to do the practical thing and insists on having his way." The Swiss replied as he once again removed the arm around his shoulders.

"Oh-kay…" Gilbert said, and when he made to yet again place his arm around the blond's shoulder, he received a glare and he conceded and kept his arm to himself (for the time being). "That totally didn't clear anything up."

Vash glared at the newcomer some more for good measure, Gilbert's grin never faltered and Vash's shoulder slumped in defeat before deciding to explain.

"Arthur here has a headache, pretty bad from what I can gather." Vash turned to look back at the Briton, and Gilbert's red eyes followed, squinting a bit as if trying to see for himself about the 'pretty bad headache'. "And he refuses to follow my suggestion to rest up."

"I keep telling you Professor Zwingli," Arthur began, his voice that much closer to being a whine. He had hoped having Gilbert show up would tilt the scales away from this topic, so far the albino only seemed to have succeeded in annoying Vash all the more. "I can handle a little headache. I don't need to go back to the dorms and take the day off."

"And haven't we been through this?" Vash replied sounding tired, yet determined. "You need to―"

"Wait a sec…" Gilbert interrupted, looking from Arthur to Vash, with shocked red eyes. "You mean_ you_ told Arthur to _skip work_ today?" He said it like he couldn't believe Vash would ever suggest people to ditch work.

"It won't be considered _skipping work _if it gets filed as a proper sick day leave." Vash corrected. "You could do well filing some of those considering the number your constant AWOLs. "

"Please Vash, what are we? High school teachers?" Gilbert asked with a snort, "We teach college kids, and these students are fully capable of self-studying. They only need us to drill in basics and introduce new theories. Most of the time they pick up from there... They don't need us to be always there, so my _AWOLs,_ as you put it, are no big deal."

Gilbert's words struck Arthur… He always thought teaching should be a commitment, and that his job as an educator was to make sure the students learn as much as they can, teach them to the best of his abilities, and constantly be by their side and offer guidance… Was teaching in college so different? Did he need to lessen his drills on his students? Loosen the leash, let them roam free and pick up the rest on their own?

As Arthur was lost in his internal pondering, Vash gave a 'humph'that snapped him back to the present...

"If you're looking for an excuse for your less than spectacular job performance, I would rather you not use that one. Those kids do depend on us to help them in their education." Vash said to Gilbert.

"This coming from you, Vash?" Gilbert asked, mocking surprise. "Aren't you really opposed to spoon-feeding the kids and a diehard supporter of the 'Give the students as much work as possible' advocacy?"

"There's a line between leaving space for the students' self-learning to let them become responsible members of society in the future, and being plain lazy… You are not allowed to dance back and forth across the line whenever you feel like it."

Arthur reflected on Vash's reply, specifically, the first part of it. The very thought of not being there for his students all the time was uncomfortable, but if that was what the students needed then, maybe… His head hurt further when he thought about it.

"Aw, man! But I am such an awesome dancer!" Gilbert whined loudly, and then winked at the affronted Vash. "And my MIA scenes in my classes aren't as many as you may think. I enjoy teaching the courses I handle. But there are times when I just can't make it to my classes, those _few_ instances are unfortunate occurrences that I make up for as soon as I can, with extra sessions and lectures."

Vash blinked at Gilbert, as if he was just proven wrong in some way. "I said AWOL, not MIA…" he muttered, before clearing his throat and commencing to talk about the issue at hand, "Nevertheless; it has nothing to do with Arthur's problem. What he needs is rest to get over his headache and be able to perform in top shape again when it's passed."

And just when Arthur thought he was about to slip free from notice too… He was about to open his mouth and protest again when Gilbert did the honors for him.

"Ah! That won't do!" Gilbert exclaimed, and both blonds looked at him.

"Why is that?" Vash asked with a frown, threatening to become a scowl.

Arthur prayed that Gilbert was smart enough to think of something that would get Vash Zwingli to finally leave the issue alone. Arthur was plenty sure of himself that he can teach as efficiently in his current condition as his headache-free state. Teaching was second nature to him, almost as easy and comfortable as moving his limbs… The only problem was how to convince the Swiss of that fact.

"Because it's a must that Arthur goes to work today." Gilbert stated as if it was blatantly obvious.

"Again; why is that?" From the way Vash's brow twitched, Arthur guessed his patience was wearing thin.

"DUH! Because today ― ." but before Gilbert could continue, he caught himself and clamped his own mouth shut, eyes wide in shock of almost saying what he was to say. His red eyes bore into Arthur, searching for a sign of comprehension.

When all the Englishman did was blink and frown in confusion, Gilbert sighed with relief.

"You're not making sense. Just what is it?" Vash asked, irritation seeping through his normally controlled voice.

"Uh, well…" Gilbert's red eyes scanned the surroundings rapidly, as if the explanation he would give would be found lying around someplace. Then his eyes landed on the tablets on Arthur's table and his proud grin returned. "Because I'm sure that Arthur will get better when he takes his meds! So there's no need for him to skip work… Isn't that right Arthur?"

"Absolutely." Arthur replied instantly, desperate enough to just agree to any idea that comes by, since his own ideas won't come to him. He nodded his head despite the pain the action brought.

"See? He's going to be fine!" Gilbert exclaimed. "And he can take the whole day tomorrow off since there'll be no classes. He can rest up then."

"Why are there no classes tomorrow?" Arthur couldn't help but ask. The two other professors turned to look at him, Gilbert with wonderment and Vash with understanding.

"Well since you're new in this country, it is understandable that you don't know." Vash replied "Tomorrow, September seventeen, is a national holiday here in the US." When the other blond mentioned the date of the coming day, Arthur's brain automatically sorted through stocked information about world history and affairs.

"Ah, the Constitution Day." Arthur said with recognition when he was reminded of the date tomorrow.

"They also call it 'Citizenship Day' around here." Gilbert added.

"The US Department of Education made it so that this holiday would apply to any school receiving federal funds of any kind… Even though our university is private, we do receive a bit of funding from the federal officials for some of our miscellaneous expenses, thus the holiday applies to us as well." Vash explained further.

"Psh, you know I swear we're the only university that takes that holiday seriously." Gilbert piped up with a roll of his eyes. "But I guess celebrating additional holidays such as that is the reason some kids pick us to enroll in… I bet most of the naive youngsters are still waiting for the day Dean Vargas would make every saint's birthday into school holidays."

"They have you to blame when they get their hearts broken" Vash said, looking at Gilbert with disapproval. "You shouldn't have started those rumors Gilbert." The red-eyed man just smirked evilly. "But I for one am proud to be part of a University that follows rules properly. Alexander University gained its good reputation through a number of ― "

"So anyway," Gilbert interrupted, "every September seventeenth, we suspend regular classes and a brief program about the history of the American Constitution is held." He said with a cocky smile, "The program is usually hosted by the Social Science, World History, and Literature Departments though, so the rest of us get away scot free."

"But, aren't you part of the World History Faculty?" Arthur asked, remembering the courses Gilbert teaches.

Gilbert snorted, "I do teach a couple of World History classes, if only to save some of the students from boring lectures and lies of other professors who can't distinguish Teutonic Knights from the fairy tale of Knights of the Round Table… but I do not affiliate myself with the Faculty of World History."

"I see… Which Department do you belong to then?" Arthur asked curiously, letting the jab about the Knights of the Round Table slide for now. Non-believers always got their dues anyway.

"None." Gilbert replied simply. Arthur was too busy subtly nursing his headache to feel confused.

"Gilbert is a sort of free lancer." Vash put in, he seemed over the fact the albino interrupted him earlier, albeit begrudgingly. "There are professors here like him that doesn't belong to any Department. Their field of teaching is just too wide and not interrelated that they can't be placed on a single Faculty."

"That's allowed?" Arthur asked. It seemed the only things that come correctly out of his mouth were questions.

"According to the Head Dean it is." Gilbert answered with a smile and a shrug. "But this is just getting us off topic." The free lancer turned back to the Swiss professor. "Now, you see that Arthur's doing fine, and he can use up all day tomorrow to rest up in the off case that his headache develops into something worse. You can take that and leave him be for today right?"

"But the risk he'll be putting on his health would still be a liable factor." Vash replied, his economist along with his accountant side showing through his choice of words.

"I'll be fine. I'm sure the aspirin would ease everything up." Arthur insisted, helping Gilbert help him out.

"And he can always go to the clinic and consult Rod and Liza." Gilbert added, Arthur didn't know who Rod and Liza were, but he nodded his consent anyway. "I'm sure Roderich would just write him off some prescription of aspirins again or maybe ibuprofen at most… You'll be sure to visit the clinic if your headache persists, won't you Arthur?"

"Yes of course." Arthur agreed instantly. Vash looked like he was beginning to reconsider and Arthur crossed his fingers.

"Well, if you're sure, then I guess you're right―" Before the Swiss even finished his sentence, his hand was grabbed by Gilbert and the red-eyed man was already tugging him away from Arthur's table. "Wait, what are you doing?" He demanded.

"I'm walking you to your table." Gilbert said with a smug grin and continued to pull on Vash's hand and arm. "See you later Arthur! Don't skip work okay?"

"I don't need you to walk me anywhere!" Vash complained, his voice finally breaking into a shout that he seemed to be holding in since Gilbert arrived.

The duo slowly shuffled away from Arthur towards the Economics Department's part of the faculty room. Gilbert had a grin on his face and Vash had an irritated scowl. Their hands remained linked together while they moved slowly in the dragging walk.

As Arthur watched as the two walked away from his table… He fervently hoped that those two would be the last visitors he'll have before he leaves the faculty room for his first class later. His headache was no better than it had been since he shook his head after his conversation with Heracles. He hoped to just spend the rest of his free time in peace.

The Mathematics Professor's hopes were shattered when he heard the smart clicking of designer shoes stepping near his place. He turned and saw a smiling Francis Bonnefoy stalking nearer and nearer his table. The Frog's smile seemed more evil than usual and Arthur cursed his doomed fate.

He quickly popped two tablets of aspirins inside his mouth and swallowed them dry. Arthur chose to avoid thinking that his headache only began truly throbbing when he started thinking about distancing himself from a certain blue-eyed student…

―X―X―X―

By the time that Arthur made it to his assigned classroom for his Math 101 class with first years, Arthur had two set of news: one bad and one good.

The bad news was that his free supply of aspirin was down to the last two tablets… That last conversation with The Frog warranted quite a number of tablets in order for Arthur's mind to function properly or get numb enough so he'll avoid causing any sort of harm to the irritating French. His head cringed the whole ten minutes it took Francis to work his magic of annoying Arthur.

The good news was that he felt he would come to like his freshmen class a lot…

Maybe it had something to do with most of the first years looking young and reminding Arthur of his former students, but mostly the nice feeling he had for the class came from their behavior. Today was Arthur's first time meeting one of his freshmen class, and unlike the sophomore students he'd been teaching for the past two days, he felt no pressure from teaching these kids.

The nicest thing about freshmen were, in Arthur's opinion, the fact that they're fresh from high school and still have some semblance of respect for the Professors whom they look to as teachers. They are fresh out of institutions that had them depending a lot on authorities and they still have those perks that come with it…

Unlike the sophomores who seemed to have already adjusted to college life, have turned completely independent and treat the Professor with less respect… most of them anyway.

"Good morning everyone, welcome to Math 101." Arthur said to his class, he paused to gauge the students' reactions; they ranged from smiles, to fidgets, to indifference, and even some straight looks… Absolutely different from the collective speculation he received from his second year classes.

"I am Professor Arthur Kirkland, and I will be handling your College Algebra lectures." Arthur continued, momentarily turning to spell out his name on the whiteboard behind him. "As you know, this course is the first part of your Precalculus, the second one would be Trigonometry which you would be encountering next semester." Arthur got the stack of papers he had placed on the teacher's desk up front the side of the room

"We have our class scheduled every morning of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday" Arthur recited as he distributed the copy of their course outline to the front row of seats and gestured for the students to pass them on to the back. This Wednesday morning was his first time meeting this class since last Monday the university only had afternoon classes. "And today we'll be having an introductory lecture about the synopsis of our curriculum."

And as the discussion went on without any interruptions from the attentive students, Arthur found his headache ebbing away slowly. It had always been easy for him to feel better when he was doing what he was good at and what he loved. The correct words explaining about sets, numbers, equations, inequalities and functions went smoothly out of him, and thanks to his research last night about his students' general schema of Algebra, he was able to track back enough and elaborate things related to their previous knowledge of the subject.

The whole lecture went pretty well, if Arthur did say so himself, and he emerged from the discussion feeling a lot better than he had been while inside the Faculty room… He looked back at his students and found comfort in their attentive and comprehensive expressions

It was a good thing Arthur managed to become an educator.

"Now, are there any questions?" Arthur asked the class as he finished the discussion.

A hand rose belonging to a young lady with long dark hair tied in pigtails and intelligent brown eyes full of curiosity. She was seated beside another petite lady with a sweet face and an awfully familiar style of blonde hair.

Arthur called on the dark-haired student and she voiced out her question, "Sir, about the functions we'll be going over sometime this semester. Is it the same one you discussed with the sophomores?"

"Well not completely, the sophomores are already starting their Differential Calculus course." Arthur answered. "The functions I've discussed with them are a bit advanced than the ones we'll be taking up." He was focused on answering the question that he didn't bother thinking why the pig-tailed girl knew he was teaching both freshmen and sophomores.

"Oh. So Professor Kirkland also teaches the second years?"

The question came from a young man who was a bit tall for his age. His physical features were a giveaway of his Asian relations, with his choppy brown hair and lighter brown, slightly inexpressive eyes that were accent by rather thick eyebrows (though not a thick as Arthur's). He managed to make his voice sound both indifferent and inquisitive at the same time.

"Ah…yes." The professor answered. "I have classes with both first and second years." He had hoped of avoiding that kind of talk, but since the topic was opened now, he might as well answer truthfully.

A murmur of _ah's_ and _oh's_ permeated around the room for a moment before everyone settled down again once more. Arthur almost sighed with relief. For a moment there, he thought the students would get all excited and start bombarding him with questions, much like the time when he had his first ever class in the university… If that had happened then his headache would've returned full force.

'_And this time around Alfred Jones isn't part of the class to bail you out by distracting the other students, is he?'_

Arthur squashed the sly voice inside his head and turned his attention to ending his class properly. It was a few minutes early, but he figured he'd better send them off now so he can have some time to himself before his next class… He remembered his next class would be with the section S-3…

Yes, he definitely needed some time to himself before he faced his next class…

"Alright, I want you lot to read up on Sets." Arthur instructed his freshmen, he couldn't help giving a mysterious smile as he added, "We may or may not have a pretest next meeting… Now off with you, you're dismissed."

And the students filed out of the room with a buzz of conversation. As soon as all the kids were out and the doors fell shut, Arthur shuffled inside his messenger bag's pockets in search of his two remaining tablets of aspirin. He took them down as soon as he found them.

Having a Master's degree in BS Mathematics and being in the middle of taking his Ph.D. made Arthur pretty good in logic since Logic is a necessary foundation of Math, both of them dealing with abstract reasoning…

But as his mind worked out thoughts, he couldn't help but think that his logic was suffering a low time since this morning. The thoughts weren't making that much sense and they didn't seem to be coming at the same rate as they were before… It pained him a lot to think he might be becoming, dare he say it… slow.

He could take the easy way and blame it on his migraine, but it wasn't like Arthur to take the easy way out. He'd faced numerous challenges in his life and he won them all by staying strong… Yet this time around, the problem, (if he could call it that), persists and he just can't figure out what to do.

Taking advantage of having no one else around the classroom, Arthur took one of the vacant seats in the front row and sat tiredly on it. He slumped and rested his arms on the desk and buried his face on his crossed arms, much like he did on his table back at the faculty room… As he closed his eyes hoping the dark would help him relax for a moment, his thoughts were once again invaded by a spectacled foreigner with a sweet happy grin. He immediately swatted the thought away.

His head began aching again…

And thus the problem presented itself. Why was it that Arthur's mind kept detouring over to that single student of his in the most unlikely of times? Those instances were also growing in number and increasing in interval that Arthur was beginning to worry about his own mental health… He had done all he could to stay unaffected by that lunch two days ago but apparently, he can't force himself to act normal after all that happened and all the boy did for him in just that short period of time.

He could still feel that strange tingle on his hand he got from the times he had physical contact with the young American… That odd feeling which, even after two days of trying to figure out what, or why he felt it, still didn't make sense.

After realizing he just didn't have any answer for the unusual sensation that coursed through him from a simple touch of hand on hand, Arthur opted for the other approach… File it away as some wonder of nature and try his best to ignore it and keep up with his normal routine without thinking about it.

A hell lot of good that did him.

He may have made a resolve to ignore it, just be thankful about all the things the younger man had done for him and go through with his new everyday life of being a professor, which he was only starting to have a feel of, as normally as he could… But the thought always managed to slip through the barriers of his head and surprise him unconsciously. Which was odd, because, one's own thoughts can't take one by surprise… right?

Couple that with his current migraine which seemed to get worse every time he forced the thoughts to leave him alone, and he'd landed himself in quite a dilemma. Arthur's groan was muffled by his arms currently acting as substitute pillows.

Just what was it about that Alfred Jones anyway? Yes, the giant kid was a bit different from your typical college student, and he seemed to like talking…a lot. He was also very helpful, in a surprising but pleasant way. And Arthur always found the young man being very attentive and hard-working during their classes… And he was always armed with a dashing smile whenever he looked back at Arthur. But he was also loud, a bit daft, incredibly nosy, and also… also…

'_Kind? Cheerful? Thoughtful?' _his sly inner voice enumerated before Arthur could stomp it off this time… _'Attractive?'_

Arthur wasn't that big of a liar as to say that the heat he felt on his face was solely due to his unwell state… He wished he was though.

Maybe he was feeling something more than just favoritism and gratitude towards his student, but the fact remained that Alfred was just that; his student… And he'd always managed to squash feelings like these before they developed.

He always just reasoned with others that sometimes it takes an eternity to establish connections between people, so they shouldn't expect to be close to him right away… Okay, maybe those feelings were not _exactly _like what he was currently experiencing right now.

But it was just a passing phase, maybe after some time; this feeling of attraction would pass. His feelings were probably just distorted because of all the sudden changes in his life and he was confused about what to feel about certain people. He can completely erase that tingling feeling on his hand after he got his head straight on. (Preferably when he no longer had a headache) Until then he just had to belt up and remain strong.

Just Alfred Jones wait, pretty soon Arthur would be able to look at him without getting lost in thought and those blue eyes, blue like the endless sky reflected on the glimmering sea…

Arthur mentally slapped himself and pushed thoughts about beautiful blue eyes out of his head which of course, throbbed in retaliation… _'GAH! This is all that stupid giant kid's fault!'_

"Stupid git…" Arthur mumbled as he snuggled deeper into his now slightly numbing arms…

"You called?"

The silence of the empty room was broken by another voice.

At the sound of the familiar voice and upon registering it wasn't just inside his head, Arthur's green eyes shot open and he managed to lift up his head from his folded arms to see for himself if his hurting mind was indeed not just playing tricks on him.

Arthur found himself staring back at a smiling spectacled face, far too close for comfort…

Alfred was there, crouching down in front of the seat Arthur temporarily claimed as his own, his knees folded and hugged up to his chest and his hands rested on top of them. He had that same amazing smile on his face as he looked up to his professor from his position crouched down to level his face with Arthur's…

A feeling of déjà vu flashed through Arthur, among other feelings…

The Briton could only stare at his student on the other side of the desk. Dread being mixed in with the other warring feelings inside of him at the moment… How long had that kid been sitting there?

His fretting was interrupted when Alfred snorted before giving a full, hearty laugh. Arthur felt his eyes narrow in a glare.

"Sorry," Alfred breathed in between laughs. Could déjà vu be as accurate as this? "It's just… Y-you looked really funny for a moment there... pft-Hahaha!" And the laughing fit continued.

As Arthur watched his student laughed carefree, like he really was having fun… he felt his narrowed eyes soften. His chest warmed and he was beginning to think that maybe this kid really wasn't so bad… Then he caught himself and scowled at his muddled thinking.

"Hey… I'm really sorry about laughing at you, okay sir?" Alfred said in an apologetic voice as his laughter completely died down. "So please, don't pout like that." Arthur could've sworn a vein on his forehead popped.

"I AM NOT POUTING!" Arthur exclaimed as he straightened and leaned his back on the chair then crossed his arms over his chest. His glare came back and he directed them fully on the student still crouched on the floor.

The student just answered with a smile and a tilt of his handsome head.

"Must be my glasses needing adjustments again then." Alfred replied with a small laugh as he stood to his full height. "Sorry about that."

Silence ensued and when it got unbearable for Arthur, he finally decided to break it.

"Fine, you're forgiven." He mumbled, and he had to distract himself when he saw his student get excited at his words. "What are you doing here so early Mister Jones?"

"Well, I had nothing to do this morning, so I decided to come to class early…" Alfred explained. "Usually, I just stand and wait outside the door for the previous class to get out… But I noticed the lack of noise inside the room and decided to peek inside to see what was up." The student then sat on the recently vacated desk and smiled down at his professor. "And then I saw the classroom was empty of students and you were slouched over this desk."

"How exactly did you manage to get inside without making any kind of noise?" Arthur asked, amazed and annoyed all at once. He tried to only let the latter show through.

"Promise you won't tell anyone?" Alfred asked with a smirk. Arthur blinked. The student then leaned down with a conspiring smile on his face and whispered to Arthur, "I'm really a secret agent spy pretending to be a college student. At this very moment, I have enough information about this university to pull it under with just a single snap of a finger to my contacts outside." He backed up to see his professor's wide green eyes.

The widening of Arthur's eyes was due more to the feeling of Alfred's hot breath caressing his sensitive ear than the preposterous lie the student just sprouted… Thankfully though, Alfred seemed to think it was because of the latter and he laughed again and said:

"Jeez sir, you're actually considering what I said?" He laughed again. "Even I know that story is way too much of a stretch."

"Oh do shut up Mister Jones." Arthur countered, managing to compose himself. "It merely shocked me that you'd be able to think up of such an elaborate, albeit absolutely unrealistic excuse like that." The Briton hoped that save was good enough.

"Whatever you say sir." Alfred replied with his trademark smile "I guess you didn't notice me come in since you were…. Sleeping…?"

Arthur then realized that his previous position of slumped on a desk would make him seem like he's dozing off… Did that mean the student went inside to watch Arthur while he thought he was asleep and proceeded to watch him? Gods, this kid really knows how to make challenges very, very difficult, doesn't he?

"I wasn't sleeping." Arthur replied instead.

Alfred looked down at him with a serious examining expression on his normally cheerful face. It made Arthur want to fidget, especially when blue eyes landed on his face and then concentrated on his green eyes.

"Yeah," the young man replied with the same serious look that turned…concerned? "I could tell by those bags under your eyes that you haven't been sleeping." Then Alfred seemed to look directly into Arthur, searching for something Arthur can't be sure what, but it made his heart beat that much faster anyway.

"…"

Arthur was struck speechless by the intense look he got from his student. It was almost the same as the one from last Monday when the taller blond demanded to know why Arthur's morale was less than upbeat and if there were people who 'bullied' him to cause it.

"Are you doing okay, professor?" Alfred asked, his voice full of concern, but unlike the concerns Arthur got from his colleagues, Alfred made him feel better just by asking.

For a moment, he almost considered giving up the fight of destroying whatever it was that he felt towards this boy. For a moment, Arthur really, really wanted nothing more than just admit he feels more than he should for Alfred, to just fall into peace of mind by accepting he might be developing an attraction towards this wonderful person…

And then the bell rang signaling the five minutes before the start of next period and Arthur snapped back to his senses.

Arthur abruptly stood up from the chair, leaving Alfred who was still seated on the desk to look up at him. He quickly averted his eyes to the side to try and hide from those piercing sad looks Alfred sent after him.

Arthur can't do this… It would never happen anyway… He's a jinx in this kind of stuff, and there was obviously a line between a professor and his student, who was Arthur to breach that line? There's always a limit to bonds one can form with certain persons.

"Class is about to begin… Please sit properly Mister Jones." Arthur said, still not looking his student in the eye.

"Professor ―" Alfred began, but Arthur paid him no more heed as the professor walked back up to the front of the classroom and stepped up onto the platform.

The classroom door opened and the other students all went inside and sat down on their seats. Arthur waited until all of them have settled down before addressing the class.

"Good morning everyone." Arthur avoided the place in the front row where he left Alfred to take the seat as his own. "Please turn into page forty-seven of your textbook, we'll be discussing about Limits ―" he almost gagged at the name of the topic.

He really just can't do this. Not right now, maybe not ever… "Actually, this class would be spent on free-reading." Arthur announced instead "Read up about Limits and answer the chapter exam at the end of the topic. Homework will be passed on Friday."

He began walking towards the professor's desk at the side of the white board and began stuffing his belongings back inside his brown messenger bag… He could hear the murmur of the students behind him, wondering about his odd behavior of not discussing the topic and leaving the students to their own devices… It pained him to do this, he really loved teaching, and he wouldn't allow the students to be on their own if he can help it…

But it pained him even more right to be inside the same room as the person he shouldn't be wanting but still can't help himself doing so… Friday, he promised himself. Come Friday and he would make up for this unacceptable behavior of his. He just needed a bit of time right now to be away and get over his aching head… and aching heart.

"I'll see everyone on Friday, goodbye." He mumbled quickly before practically running out of the classroom, leaving a lot of students confused and annoyed at the amount of work dumped on them.

…Leaving a student with worried blue eyes unable to follow after him and make sure he's okay.

* * *

Xai's corner: Okay, I really didn't want to end it there, but it would've dragged. And if I included the next scene, I would've found it difficult to cut it. So I decided to put off the next scene for the next chapter… When the chapter would be updated though, I can't say for sure. I'm trying to do it maybe once in every two or three weeks, four or more if school turns into the devil… I can only work on this during weekends, and I'm not that good of a writer so it turns out slow. I humbly apologize for that…

And of course, I also ask you find it in your kind heart to leave a review. I work hard to get this updated, it would be nice to know what my readers think of it…

Time Check: 2:11 am… And I still have class later, nice.

*Edited- I tweaked my usage of Constitution Day a bit since I was informed it's practically just a regular day over at the States. (But I think Al celebrates it in his own.)

* * *

_Next Chapter: Not everyone is blessed with friendly support during times of hurt and crisis. Those who are should do well and treasure it._


	5. Concern

Author's note: Uhm, hi… It's been, what, almost two months? Life's a slave driver… So yeah, I'm just going to skip the awkward apology-slash-excuse and jump straight into thanking my lovely reviewers for the past chapter! I love you guys, you keep moving me and you keep me moving! And I would also like to thank my readers of course, you're the reason this story keeps on existing. And last but definitely not the least; I would like to thank the people who keep on adding Answer Key to their favorite list. You guys make me blush…

Okay, quick synopsis… This chapter would be in multiple perspectives, unlike the previous ones which have been either in Alfred's or Arthur's point of view. This is so that I could build the other characters and let the readers take a look from their eyes. And I really, really hope I didn't fail in characterization *crosses fingers*

Warnings: Hmm… A cuss word or two perhaps, brought to you by our cute little Tomato. Some foreign language, translations are provided in _Xai's corner_. And my ever popular grammatical and spelling mistakes. (I'll work on them when I have time, promise.)

And trivia: this chapter turned out to be so long I decided to cut it early and turn the second part into a new chapter to avoid dragging. Due to that particular circumstance though, chapters three, four, and five are and will be slow-paced, as in there is minimal time interval in the story between them. The pace _should_ pick up on chapter six though.

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Hetalia series…

* * *

Answer Key

By Synxailla

Chapter Four "Concern"

_Not everyone is blessed with friendly support during times of hurt and crisis. Those who are should do well and treasure it._

* * *

Division of labor is a good way to ensure that maximum amount of work gets done in a minimum amount of time. It is a nice strategy to implement among members of a group when working on projects…especially a big-scale project involving a lot of work needing to be done in a roughly ten-hour time-frame.

Oh, and having a checklist helps out a lot in monitoring the progress of your assigned (by draw-lots) work too.

Antonio happily checked the little boxes beside Tino and Berwald's names as he walked down the corridor. He just finished talking with Tino, and the shorter cheerful blond readily agreed to his invitation. The Social Science professor also vouched that Belward, or _Susan_ as the former blond calls the latter for reasons unknown to everyone else, would also be coming to tonight's occasion… That takes two persons off his invitation list.

So far, having drawn the 'messenger' job out of Francis' beret didn't seem like much of a complete hassle as the Spaniard thought it would be. He looked at all the names listed down on his paper with check marks ticked beside them and did a recap.

Yao agreed to come without much persuasion, bless his kind soul. The visit to the library ensured Katherine's presence. Antonio, Gilbert and Francis were automatically checked off the list. Gilbert also declared that he'll make sure Vash gets informed and comes along so that took Vash off the list too. And finally, there was Tino who said he'll bring Susan aka Belward along… That checked eight people off the list, leaving only four more to go and it wasn't even midday yet.

The brunet sped up his walk as he saw the corner that would lead him to his next destination looming closer. A few more moments and Antonio was standing in front of double-doors, not as fancy as the ones of the faculty room, but not as plain as the ordinary classroom doors. It was painted bluish-grey, and the knobs were designed to look like clear crystal gems. The sign above it proclaimed in bold black letters "_Consulente dell'Allievo_".

His smile faded a bit as he opened the door and was met face-on by a cold breeze escaping from the room.

"_Caramba_, I always forget my jacket when I visit here." Antonio muttered to himself, but still he stepped on inside and closed the doors behind him.

His eyes scanned the room briefly; to one side was a wall to which a glass shelf was mounted on, lined with a couple of psychological and sociological books with two smiling _Matryoshka_ dollson either edge serving as book-ends. Abstract paintings of hues of blue, grey, silver and white hanged on the walls, giving a more glacial feel to the room coupled with the chilly temperature.

The lone painting of a bright field of sunflowers looked a bit out of place in the middle of the abstract paintings.

Beside the door was a small rectangular ornament table filled with pamphlet holders containing color-coded folded sheets of paper proclaiming topics such as _"How to Manage Taking up 40 Academic Units and PASS"_, _"A Guide on Avoiding Multiple Major Shifts a.k.a. How Not to Spend Seven Years or More in College"_, _"Be Academically Productive While Having Fun! (Results may vary)"_, and _"SUICIDE? Call Hotline 1-800-DON'T DO IT!"_

Antonio's attention was taken away from wondering about the people who wrote the pamphlets when a voice from behind the counter further into the room called out to him.

"Good morning Professor Carriedo." A polite young man with light-brown hair reaching a little past his ears and eyes the color of just between green and blue greeted with a smile. The smart kid was wearing a warm looking jacket.

"Hello Torris!" Antonio greeted back with a smile as he went over to the younger man and took brief notice of the stack of papers the student seemed to be in the middle of sorting out. "You're working hard. I just saw your younger brother Eduard earlier in the library, and he looked like he was pretty engrossed in his errands too."

Torris' smile turned a little abashed. "We do try and carry out our jobs properly."

"I'm sure you do. The two of you are probably the best working scholars Alexander University had in a long time." Antonio said and the student flushed further and gave an awkward smile to be polite.

"Thank you for saying so sir, that's kind of you."

"It's not just me saying so. Katherine practically showers Eduard with thanks every minute he helps her with managing the central books circulation. And the number of students that come out running in fear or in tears from this place has decreased dramatically since you've been assigned as part-time secretary here." Antonio said replied, hand gesturing with a wave towards the main door of the office.

Torris gave a weak smile in return, eyes darting to the other door behind him leading to the Counselor's inner office. It remained shut, yet seemed to produce dark auras seeping out from inside the longer you look at it. Antonio saw the third year student give a slight tremble before blue-green eyes looked back to him.

"Yes well, Eduard is a natural with computers so it's no problem for him to manage the database of the books circulation in the library, and I keep hearing how nice Ma'am Katherine is to him; he absolutely loves his assigned work." Torris said with another polite smile, "And Sir Braginski can be less―uhm, brutally frank in counseling students when his schedule is arranged properly… He isn't much of a morning person."

"Oh… Then this must not be the best time to come in and talk to Ivan huh?" Antonio asked, his own green eyes looking behind the scholar, to the door that leads to the said Counselor's inner office. He knew better than to spoil Ivan Braginski's mood. It never turns out pretty for the spoiling side. "I guess I'll just come back later…much later, when it won't even be remotely considered morning. Thanks for your time Torris." He then made to turn for the door when he heard the working scholar call out.

"I can take a message." Torris volunteered "So that you won't have to come back here later sir. I can pass it on to Mister Braginski before I end my shift and attend afternoon classes."

"Really?" Antonio asked with a wide smile. "That would be great! Thank you Torris."

"It's no trouble Professor Carriedo, I'm happy to help whenever I can."

"Then, can you ask Ivan if he can make time tonight, at about seven-thirty? We have… a little something to celebrate." The professor gave a smile at that.

"I will sir. Is that all I you needed to say to Mr. Braginski?" Torris readily replied as he scribbled the message on a notepad.

The professor nodded and then he thought of something he needed to add "Oh, and tell him it's going to be done in Francis' room and that his sister Katherine, and also Yao have already said yes to my invitation. Their attendance might convince him to come, if nothing else does."

"Of course sir, I'll be sure to pass it on." Torris said, not bothering to ask what Antonio meant about 'something to celebrate'…

Antonio guessed it was because the student really didn't want to meddle in the professors' affairs. Even though he and his younger brother worked closely with the staff and faculty members due to their working-scholar status, which ensured their education in exchange for aiding University staff in their free time, they still maintain a distance between work and personal rapport…

Well, the elder more so than the younger. Antonio had seen the blushes and smiles the younger of the two brothers wore whenever he gets praised by the kind head librarian, Katherine.

"Thank you for being such great help Torris." Antonio answered with a smile and turned and walked towards the main door of the outer office. "_Gracias_!" he called before slipping out of the office.

The checklist was taken out of Antonio's pocket and the box beside the name 'Ivan Braginski' was marked with a check.

Antonio smiled again and sped up his steps to his next destination. Fortunately, the clinic wasn't that far away from the Counseling Room, and Antonio arrived before he finished humming _Las hojitas _for the seventh (or was it eighth? maybe ninth?) time under his breath.

The white door of the clinic came with a hanging sign that said "The physician is IN". The little flower on the corner of the sign was a dead giveaway that it was Elizaveta who hung up the sign and not the physician himself, Roderich. But the fact that the sign still dangled up on the door was proof enough that Roderich and Elizaveta's marriage isn't solely handled by the husband.

Upon opening the door, Antonio's eyes automatically went to one side of the room where a black haired man sat on a swiveling chair in front of a glass table and scribbled on a piece of paper. His back was to the door and to Antonio. The man wore a white doctor's gown, not that much different from Yao's lab gowns, only the man had his coat buttoned, Yao preferred to wear his unbuttoned.

"Hi there Roderich!" Antonio greeted to announce his presence. The man seated on the chair swiveled around whilst still seated. The physician regarded Antonio back with icy blue eyes behind his elliptical-framed glasses.

"Hello Antonio." Roderich greeted back. His voice still carrying the slight accent he developed in Austria which being in USA for half a decade didn't work getting rid of. His blue eyes gave Antonio a once over, probably running a diagnostic from just a glance. "Is there something you need?"

Antonio smiled at the physician then proceeded on asking. "Can Liza and you come by later to Francis' room at about seven-thirty?"

Roderich's eyes flashed a bit in realization as he decoded the unsaid message behind the abrupt invitation. "So I take it that the surprise you, Francis, and Gilbert have been plotting is finally underway?"

Antonio gave a nod and walked inside the room, shortening the distance between him and the university physician to make communication easier. "That's right. We thought about having it over the weekend, but since we'll have a free day tomorrow because the Citizenship day program would be happening anyway, we decided to have it tonight."

"You do know that even if regular classes are suspended tomorrow, some of us still need to work, right?" Roderich replied, raising an eyebrow.

"We already counted that in when we made the plan." Antonio replied, he knew that his smooth track of getting people to agree to come over easily would meet a wall eventually.

It doesn't matter, he just needed to climb over it.

"But tomorrow's workload would be considerably lighter than a regular day's right? A little celebration the night before can't do much harm… And it would've taken too long if we waited over until the weekend. A welcome party should be done ASAP, not a week after the one we need to welcome arrived. He would've had enough time to settle in by then and can't be easily surprised anymore." Or so Francis said, but Antonio trusted the Frenchman's words enough.

Roderich gave him a measuring look. What is it with doctors and being observant? Antonio fought the urge to fidget, he wasn't a young kid that needed constant reassurance from his friends anymore. He could very well stand waiting for an answer and not wring his hands or worry his lip… The tension was broken when the seated doctor gave a small, resigned smile.

"Fine." Roderich said, "I'll be there, and I'll bring Elizaveta with me if she agrees to come too. I'm sure she'll―be delighted."

"That's great!" Antonio exclaimed; relief and happiness at the thought of checking two more names off his list shining through his smile.

"Well now, it seems you three really are taking this seriously." Roderich mused. "You even invite people personally."

"Well of course, the more the merrier!" Antonio replied "It would be nice to welcome him with friends, and we wanted to do it right away so that he'll have time to know everyone sooner. It seems he isn't that close to people around here yet."

"Isn't that only to be expected?" Roderich asked "After all, it's only been his third day here. You can't expect a person to be friendly with everyone in his new workplace immediately."

"I know that but…"Antonio paused as he mulled over how to best word what he wanted to say. "He's different. He doesn't seem like the type to approach people intent on making friends."

"What's wrong with that?" Roderich asked again, sounding a little bit crossed. "Maybe he's the kind who prefers peace and quiet, and personal space."

"_Sí_, he does seem like that type." The Botany professor admitted, a brief image of Vash, Roderich, and Belward crossed his mind "But there's more about him… There's something else… Like he, well… Like he keeps his distance from others on purpose and keeps anyone from _really_ befriending him. He tries but…. I don't know, I can't explain it well, and maybe it's just my speculation or something." He gave a shrug and an apologetic smile over to the doctor.

Roderich looked at him for a while before answering. "Well, whatever it is you're worried about, you can work on it tonight."

"You're right." Antonio's smile slowly turned happy "Oh and the party will be at eight, and we'll be having it in Francis' room. Make sure you and Elizaveta get there ahead of time, since we'll still need to get him to come over, and it would be a problem if some people are late."

"Of course, we'll be on time." Roderich replied with a straight face. Antonio knew about the Austrian's punctuality, the reminder maybe even wasn't needed.

"Sure you will." Antonio agreed. "And remember to not hint Arthur of anything."

Roderich opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted when the door to the clinic slammed open harshly and in came through a very reluctant looking Arthur Kirkland, being pushed on by a beautiful woman in an all-white nurse's uniform with long wavy brown hair and determined gleaming green eyes.

"I _insist_ that you have Doctor Edelstein take a look at you professor. I won't stand for the whole 'I just need some aspirins' thing!" Elizaveta said as she continued to push Arthur through the room.

Antonio momentarily panicked when he saw Arthur in the doorway, but from the looks of things, the British man didn't hear anything that would put the plan in danger of being sniffed out. It seemed as if both the nurse and the reluctant patient were so engrossed in opposing one another without resulting to either one of them suffering physical harm to even notice that Antonio was in the room.

"But ma'am, I've told you already I'm fine." Arthur complained as he got pushed further inside the room. "It's just a simple headache."

"Nonsense!" Elizaveta cried, her eyes narrowing into a glare. "I saw you practically staggering and swaying on the way over here. And unless you confess to have been drinking, then I'm sure there's something else wrong with your health."

The blond then muttered something that vaguely sounded like "_why does everyone assume I've been drinking?_" under his breath, and seemed to have admitted defeat since his struggles against the nurse stopped and he allowed himself to be pushed inside the room… It was about that time that his emerald green eyes landed on Antonio and after a couple of second, recognition flashed in them.

"Antonio?" Arthur asked as he was finally let to walk on his own by Elizaveta. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, that, well, uh…" Antonio then clamped his mouth shut, lest he start mumbling in Spanish, which he was told by a certain grumpy auburn haired Italian he does every time he gets nervous.

"He was delivering a message to me." Roderich answered for him, saving Antonio from thinking up a lie for an excuse. He was never good at lying.

"Oh, I thought for a moment there you were ill or something." Arthur said, and then he smiled. "I'm glad you're not."

"I'm absolutely fine." Antonio replied with a smile, he then gave Arthur an examining look and saw that the same could not be said about his new friend.

There were dark circles under his eyes which stood out more due to the Mathematics professor' slightly pale complexion. His blond hair seemed more unkempt than usual and his overall posture looked tired. This is actually the first time Antonio have seen Arthur looking less than his best.

The Briton always seemed to be careful about his appearance in front of other people since day one; always looking proper and standing straight with pride and seeming ready to take on any kind of challenge… The blond's current image worried Antonio a bit.

"How about you Arthur?" Antonio asked after looking at his new friend's state of appearance. "You look a bit… sick."

"Oh, this is nothing, I'm fine." Arthur assured with a weak smile and a gesture of both hands open, palm out, as if talking to a door-to-door salesman "_No, I don't need any more brushes in my house, even if they do come in pretty packages and can scrub dirt from the soles of feet of an elephant."_

Antonio frowned; he was beginning to believe Elizaveta when she said she's convinced something's not right with Arthur… Arthur looked at him and seemed to have read his doubts.

"Really, I'm fine." The blond insisted "I just didn't sleep well last night and that led to a headache this morning." Before Arthur continued, he sought out the look of the nurse behind him and said "All I need is to ask for a couple of aspirins and I'll be on my way."

"No you will not." Roderich said, finally standing up from his chair and approaching the newcomer. Arthur's eyes fell to the stethoscope around the Austrian's neck and Antonio guessed he must be figuring out that Roderich had the most authority in the room they're currently in.

"Hello, my name is Arthur Kirkland." Arthur said, eyeing Roderich and stretching a hand out, poised for a handshake "I apologize for not introducing myself earlier"…. Antonio figured Arthur wasn't sick enough to ignore proper manners.

"Doctor Roderich Edelstein." Roderich replied as he shook Arthur's hand briefly in his own. His blue eyes looked over Arthur in that overly observant way of his. "It's nice to finally meet you professor Kirkland, I've heard quite a bit about you."

"Oh you have?" Arthur asked as he let go of the doctor's hand. "Well then, I hope that none of what you heard are negative things."

"Be assured, none of them say you're a bad person." Roderich replied politely, "It's just that you're new here which is why people still can't help but include you in topics of conversation."

Antonio was starting to think that maybe Arthur and Roderich could become good friends since they were both so polite and well mannered… Or maybe they won't be, since politeness and proper behavior is something you give to people you are not close to on a personal level…. Then again, Antonio was judging based on his own personal friendships.

"Yes indeed." Arthur replied with a sigh. "I wish my whole _being new_ would tide over soon. I am not so fond of being the object of attention for much too long."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that." Roderich said with a kind of clandestine smile. "I'm sure you'll settle in sooner than you think."

"Well, I'm happy you seem to think so." Arthur replied. "Well Doctor, the reason I came here is to ask for some Aspirins. I've run out recently, and I'm afraid my headache is much more of a hassle without them. If you would be so kind as to grant my request, I'll be out of your hair in no time."

"And as I said earlier Professor Kirkland, you will do no such thing." Roderich replied evenly, earning a startled look from Arthur and a pleased smile from Elizaveta.

"B-but―!"

"Yes I know you claim to be not sick." Roderich replied before Arthur could utter anything comprehensible. "But I'm sorry to say that we'll be the judge of that, not you." By this time Elizaveta have stepped beside the doctor and smiled sweetly at Arthur.

Arthur looked like he was about to protest again but Antonio interrupted him.

"Please just let them have a look at you Arthur. I guarantee you they are good at what they do."

Emerald eyes shifted from Antonio to the doctor and nurse, and back to Antonio again, before Arthur gave a sigh and nodded his consent.

Elizaveta immediately went over and took Arthur's arm to guide him over to an examination bed covered in white linens. She smiled a soothing smile, very different from her forceful behavior earlier, and said "My name is Elizaveta Héderváry-Edelstein. I would be your nurse for this checkup." Arthur blinked at her and tried to return the smile, probably taken back by the nurse's shift in mood.

The routine checkup was completed, in which a thermometer quickly took Arthur's temperature, a penlight was shined on his eyes, a tongue depressor was placed inside his mouth as his throat was checked, his knees were tapped with a small hammer, and finally, his chest was listened to through a stethoscope as the Mathematics professor was instructed to inhale then exhale slowly.

"Your temperature is a bit warm, but still within the normal range" Roderich told Arthur, scanning the scribbled notes he took down while the checkup was in progress. "Your reflexes are normal. Though your eyes are a bit bloodshot and dry from too much strain of you getting them to stay open, they must be itching, don't rub them lest they get irritated further."

At this, Arthur instantly brought his hand down which was creeping up to do just that, the doctor continued. "Your headache seems to be due to over-thinking when you lack proper sleep, as well as stress. Som stress is expected since your body needs to adjust to the new environment. But other than those, you seem fine. You only need a couple of hours to rest up, and then you'll be all right." Antonio's shoulders sagged in relief. Arthur would be able to make it later after all.

"When is your next class Professor Kirkland?" Elizaveta asked, as she handed Arthur back his tie when the Briton finished buttoning back up his top.

"In about three hours." Arthur answered "I have a two-hour vacant period, and…" At this the Briton suddenly shifted his green eyes to the side, avoiding anyone's glance from the room before he continued in a more subdues tone. "I left my current class early and assigned them homework before I went here."

Antonio can't help but wonder why Arthur looked…sad, when he said that.

"It's settled then, you'll be staying here and rest up until your next class." Elizaveta replied resolutely.

Arthur turned back at the nurse's words and looked at the nurse with wide disbelieving eyes. Elizaveta looked back at him with a smile. The Briton turned to look at the doctor but he just received a look that said 'I can't help you there.'

"But, I'm fine." Arthur protested, "You said so yourself, I'm not ill at all."

"No, I said _other than_ slight fatigue and lack of sleep, you seem fine." Roderich corrected, adjusting his glasses. "Please understand that the new environment you've been thrust into may also have a part in causing your current state, so it would be best to take a break from it for now. Elizaveta is right; you need to rest a while if you plan on continuing your work for the day."

"You have to stay here and rest." Elizaveta promptly said, as if repeating herself was the same as asserting. Her eyes determined as she looked at Arthur.

Arthur gave a defeated sigh, and Antonio was glad he didn't seem like he wanted to argue further. Maybe the blond have been through too many arguments already and was too tired to enter yet again another one… The Botany Professor couldn't help sympathizing.

"I'll give you some eye-drops and something to help with your headache so you can sleep easier." Roderich said to maybe try and show the blond the lighter side of things… It didn't work too well.

"It's not so bad Arthur," the Spaniard put in, trying to be supportive. "and you'll feel a lot better soon! Roderich and Elizaveta work magic in their department you know…"

Arthur's expression lightened to give a smile back but it seemed forced. Antonio hesitated before saying "Just remember to make Elizaveta promise not to take pictures of you while you're sleeping."

"Watch it Antonio," the nurse snapped "You wouldn't want those pictures of you singing to your tomatoes posted on the bulletin boards."

Antonio cringed at that. "See what I mean? She has this habit of going after people when they least expect it." he whispered to Arthur and the blond gave a soft laugh.

"Don't worry; I'll be sure to ask for her word to keep any kind of photographic devices away from me whilst unconscious." Arthur replied with a smile. This one felt more right, yet still… incomplete.

"Okay, okay, that's enough fun for now dear professors." Elizaveta cut in "You, professor Kirkland, need to lie down and take it easy for a couple of hours, doctor's orders are absolute you know." Then she turned to Antonio, "And you Antonio, are now welcome to leave the clinic and the patient in peace."

"I guess I need to be going now." He gave one last smile to Arthur and Roderich who smiled and nodded respectively before walking to the door.

He turned in time to see Elizaveta gently ushering Arthur to lie down on the bed and her husband going over the back room probably to fetch some pills and a glass of water… Then he heard soft classical music drifting around the room which Roderich must've also been behind of, and he couldn't help but smile.

"_Adios._"Antonio muttered before going out of the clinic.

Once back in the corridor, he took out his pen and checklist and marked Roderich and Elizaveta off. He tried to turn his mind back on track and continue his job. Arthur would be fine enough to make it to his own surprise party tonight, Roderich and Elizaveta would make sure of that.

And by then, Antonio and the others would just have to work through on making Arthur's incomplete smiles livelier somehow.

―X―X―X―

"And these pens with little pull-out rolled calendars in them? The idea came from yours truly of course!" Yong Soo proclaimed and watched his classmates' reaction.

Most of them were intrigued and were taking a closer look at the pen he was brandishing, some of them rolled their eyes and ignored him.

Among the former was a girl with blue eyes and long dark hair in pigtails, Chelles leaned and whispered to another freshman girl and the two girls giggled. Yong Soo didn't know if that was a good sign or not… Then his eyes trained back to the girl Rachelle was with and noticed that her short blond hair was cut in a suspiciously familiar style and huge green eyes made the resemblance he couldn't quite put his finger on stand out more.

"You know, you look a lot like someone I can't put my finger on." He can't help but say aloud, and approached the two girls.

The blond girl shied away and almost took a step back behind Rachelle. The self-proclaimed future journalist just smiled at him and didn't mind her friend's backing away.

"Of course she does!" she exclaimed at the nearing Asian "If you paid attention during roll call you'd have noticed her name is Lillian Zwingli." After that, she gave no further details, as if trusting Yong Soo to connect the dots on his own.

And connect them he did… He turned his eyes from Chelles to the little blond girl named Lillian who was now practically hiding behind her friend.

"You're related to Professor Vash Zwingli?" He asked, awed.

"Y-yes." The girl confirmed meekly with a nod "He's my older brother."

Yong Soo didn't know what was more startling… The fact that Professor Zwingli, Alexander University's topnotch in the 'student slave-driver and utter business-type personality' category apparently had a shy, cute, little sister; or the fact that said little sister styles her hair in the same way as her stern older brother.

"There's no need to look so surprised." Chelles said, snapping Yong Soo back into the present. "Yong Soo, meet Lillian Zwingli, my roommate. Lilly, meet Yong Soo; Alexander University's very own gadget innovator." He wondered a bit at the title, but decided he liked it.

The pigtailed girl only allowed the two to exchange small rather awkward smiles before she proceeded to drag Lillian back to their seats. "I think we should go over our homework one more time before Professor Wang arrives." She said with another smile. Before the two girls were far, Chelles looked over her shoulder and added with a wink "Nice pen by the way."

Just then, the door of their classroom opened and in came a blond wearing a very familiar bomber jacket. Yong Soo smiled and waved to the newcomer.

"Hey Al! Over here!" the Korean called over and his wide smile dropped a notch when he saw his American friend look up without the usual grin ready on his face. It took a moment before Al managed to smile, and even then it looked a bit strained.

"Hey Soo." The blond replied as he walked over and automatically took the vacant seat beside the Asian. "Thank you for saving me a seat."

"Yeah, anytime." The brunet replied distractedly, he was busy looking at his friend's expression. "Something wrong?" he finally asked after a while of Al practically slumping in his seat.

"Huh?" Alfred asked, looking a bit distracted, before giving a sheepish grin. "Sorry about that, I'm spacing out more and more these past couple of days."

"What, you're making it into a habit or something?" Yong Soo asked with a teasing smile, attempting to put back some semblance of fun into the conversation.

"I was told it was a bad habit and to stop while I can." Alfred murmured, looking distracted once again…

_No,_ Yong Soo corrected his thoughts. _He doesn't just look distracted; he looks worried, almost…sad._

"Look," Yong Soo said, getting his American friend's full attention "if there's something bothering you Al, you know you can talk to me about it right?"

Alfred looked at him in shock, then smiled in gratitude before he gave a soft laugh to himself. "Thanks, I appreciate that…" He said once he managed to look back again to Yong Soo's concerned but determined to help eyes. "But it's nothing major. I just got dumped with this homework and I don't feel much like doing it." He said with a shrug.

"That won't be much of a problem; we don't have regular classes tomorrow so you'll have time to work on it." Yong Soo pointed out. "Well, that is if you don't spend all day tomorrow shifting through the program and different booths. Seriously Al, I know you're patriotic and all, but no need to push it."

Finally, a laugh that sounded natural came from the American and Yong Soo patted his himself on the back for a job well done.

"You know I can't help it Yong Soo." Alfred said with a grin. "It's only right to celebrate Constitution Day! You know I'm a sucker for independence."

"Oh yes, I know you're very much an enthusiast of anything that relates to independence." Yong Soo agreed "You're birthday is even the same day as the US independence, I could call it fate or something, but I'd honestly rather not."

"No, just settle on calling it a coincidence." Alfred replied "I'm not much of a fan of that whole _fate_ thing."

"Of course you're not. You're too spontaneous for those kinds of things anyway." Yong Soo smirked, "Why'd you think I stayed your friend for more than a year now?"

"Oh was that the reason?" Alfred asked with a sly smile. "And here I thought you put up with me because I put your inventions to good use."

"You call rigging the corridor drinking fountains with my automatic timed stomper to splash unsuspecting students in the face _putting my inventions to good use_?" Yong Soo snorted, "Now, if you managed that same trick in the faculty lounge, then I might reconsider."

Alfred replied with a snort of his own. "Please, you know you'll never forgive anyone who placed Professor Wang in potential harm, even the prank kind."

"Of course not!" the Korean exclaimed "I'll warn him about it obviously. So that he can monitor the proceedings and laugh at other professors who get caught in the prank. Professors like him need a laughing break once a while."

The lack of reply made Yong Soo look over closely to his blond friend. He saw Alfred looking deep in thought, like he was considering something of great importance.

"A laughing break huh?" Alfred finally whispered, as if thinking about something distant and unreachable. "Well, I never see him smile much."

Yong Soo knots his brows and was about to ask what Alfred was talking about, of course Professor Yao smiles a lot, ―when the classroom door opened again and said professor came and stood in front of the class to begin the lecture… Yong Soo debated over asking it then saw Alfred give him a smile that said he was okay. Yong Soo smiled and nodded back before getting out his pen with a built-in calendar and his notebook to take notes of Professor Yao's lecture.

The Korean was aware that all throughout the lesson, Alfred was twirling his pen; a habit which meant one of two things: either he wasn't listening to the lecture because he was bored, or that he was thinking about something more important to him than their current Chemistry lecture which would no doubt appear on the preliminary exams. And since the former reason was impossible (Yao never makes the lectures boring), Yong Soo was left to assume it was the latter.

When they were dismissed, Yong Soo took the opportunity to examine his friend again, hoping to find from his expression the reason why he was so not himself today. _Note to self: Invent a device that allows mind-reading._

"Al, are you completely, absolutely, one hundred percent sure nothing's wrong?" Yong Soo asked, blocking his friend's way, forcing the blond to face him.

There was a brief moment when Alfred looked like he was about to say something about what was truly bothering him…and then his closed his mouth and his blue eyes drifted to look down his sneakers. When he looked back up his expression looked both confused and determined at the same time.

"Actually there is. I think I'm….worried" The American replied and Yong Soo was about to ask yet another question but Alfred opened spoke again before the Korean was able to utter another word. "But the thing is, I'm not sure I'm allowed to worry, or if there's even something going on that I should be worried about, and if there is, then what help can I be of anyway?" he gave a smile so self-deprecating Yong Soo was sure his friend was really hurting.

"You know Alfred, you can never help the things you feel, so there's no use feeling bad about them." Yong said quietly, trying his best to give some kind of uplifting advice "It doesn't matter if you're confused…" and then he ran out of words to say. So he decided to borrow someone else's. "_Everyone should carefully observe which way his heart draws him, and then choose that way with all his strength_… Yao used to say that to us a lot. I'm sure it'll help you in some way." Yong Soo offered.

Alfred looked like he was pondering the words Yong Soo just gave him thoroughly. After a while, he nodded to himself and looked back to the Korean with a smile almost like his regular happy ones…

"Thanks Soo. I'll keep that in mind." He said with genuine gratitude in his tone of voice.

"Good." The Asian replied with a smile of his own, satisfied that he'd been able to help his friend in some way. "It was nice having a heart-to-heart chat with you and all, but I really need to get to my next class."

Alfred snorted a laugh "Yeah, I know. Don't let me keep you from your _all important education, _oh mighty clever Im Yong Soo."

"Make me sound like a nerd again and I'll ban you from my inventions for a week." The brunet threatened "And I can't exactly help it if Professor Kirkland is way too punctual in starting classes."

At the mention of the Mathematics professor's name, Yong Soo saw Alfred start… Silence rang again as no response came from the blond.

"Al…?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." The American replied and his face did indeed look better than his worried musings earlier. The determination was still there. "Can I ask you a favor Yong Soo?"

"Sure." It wasn't like he can say no especially since Yong Soo have clearly expressed his will to help Alfred in…whatever it was that the American was going through.

"Keep an eye on Professor Kirkland for me." Alfred said, and Yong Soo thought it was an odd request. "When we had class with him earlier, he dismissed us right away after assigning homework on a whole chapter."

"Woah, that doesn't seem like him." The Korean replied "He always makes it a point to conduct lectures before assigning workloads."

"I know. He looked a bit…unwell, earlier maybe that's why he dismissed our class early, without even opening the new lecture."

"Oh I see, you don't have to worry Alfred. If he conducts a lecture, I'll loan you my notes." Yong Soo said with a smile. Man, how generous can he get today? "I'll pay extra attention later."

"Thanks, that'll be super helpful." Alfred said with a smile. "I'll text you later and ask about how your class went okay?"

"Sure… But I really need to go now. I guess we'll be in touch later." He then gave a smile and ran off to the direction of his next class. He waved goodbye to his blind friend before he turned a corner and Alfred vanished completely from his sight.

As Yong Soo neared the classroom 305, he wondered if Alfred's problem and weird behavior was somehow connected to their Math professor…and if the Math professor's apparent unusual behavior was the root of Al's worrying… Well if it was, then things should prove interesting.

_Note to self: Start on drafting blueprints for the mind-reader ASAP._

―X―X―X―

Lovino sat quietly in his seat with a scowl on his face and ignored the immature antics some of his classmates were doing, sometimes he wondered if all the people he was doomed to be stuck with are all childish, or if it was just his twin brother influencing his life in some way yet again...

He supposed he should just be thankful he managed to secure a seat where he can see the board clearly without having to crane his neck, while staying well away from the majority of his loud classmates. The person seated beside him was a blond with pale blue eyes framed in eyeglasses. He knew the other student as one of the University's working-scholar; being a relative of the Head Dean came with perks like knowing things going on around campus. He knew the boy's name was Eduard von Bock, and he worked as assistant to the head librarian with enormous…frontal assets.

The other boy was currently reading a book and being relatively silent. Lovino thanked his luck for having a quiet seatmate…

He cursed his luck when the door opened and in marched the notorious Im Yong Soo who took the other seat beside him without so much as a preamble.

"So Lovino Vargas," the Asian began in that annoying way he speaks just before Lovino's mood gets worse. "Is today finally the day you recognize me for the genius that I really am?"

"For the last time Yong Soo, you can't convince me that you invented the oven!" Lovino growled "They were around even before you were born." did he look like a gullible naive person who'll believe anything?

Well… He looked like his twin, and Feliciano was a kind of naive person… But he won't let that count, damnit!

"Hey, your little brother never protested like that." The Korean defended, and Lovino felt his irritation rise some more.

"Stop comparing me with Feliciano!" He shouted, and didn't particularly care if people are looking his way or not. They are used to his behavior by now, and if they're not, they should be. "We're different people! Can't you understand that?" _can nobody understand that?_ It was tiresome to be constantly compared to his younger twin.

"Okay, so maybe the oven is a lost cause, but I have something new that will knock your socks off!" Yong Soo declared and if they weren't attracting everyone else's attention earlier, they certainly were now. The students have always been curious about the odd useless, if not bordering on illegal, stuff Yong Soo frequently launches.

"Lo and behold!" the Asian exclaimed as he pulled out something from his pocket. The something revealed itself to be a pen when Lovino got a clear look at it.

"What? You're telling me you invented the _amazing pen_ now too?" Lovino asked giving a smirk, "Your standards continue to plummet down their impending doom."

All the students were disappointed by the lack of usual glamour of Yong Soo's product launching too. Even Eduard raised an eyebrow before deciding to go back to his book.

"Lovino, Lovino, Lovino, sweet, innocent Lovino…" The Korean said, shaking his head from side to side with every repetition of the young Italian's name, it succeeded in annoying Lovino further. "I know that to the untrained eye this seem nothing but an ordinary pen, but when I do _this_―!" at that Yong Soo pulled an inconspicuous flap and a piece of glossy paper rolled out from the cylindrical body of the pen.

The other students reacted with o_oh's _and _ah's_… What was so impressing about that? Closer inspection revealed the paper to only be a small calendar.

"It has a secret pull-out function to it." Yong Soo announced proudly.

"Oh, and I'm supposed to be awed because you managed to combine a pen and a calendar together?" Lovino can't help but snap.

Yong Soo _tsk_-ed at him. "You know what the problem with you is Lovino? You're thinking too much inside the box. Let your imagination loose sometime!"

Lovino was sure his Asian classmate had no idea just how much his comment affected him… He's been hearing the same kind of comments ever since he was young when Feliciano always showed more creativity and talent than Lovino could, despite Feliciano being the younger twin… Lovino gritted his teeth to suppress the unwelcome memories. Those comments didn't matter now…

They stopped mattering when Granpa Julius took both Lovino and his brother under his care and treated them with no favoritism. And Lovino can't ever hate his twin even if he tried. He loved his idiot of a brother too much. It wasn't Feliciano's fault that he was better at Lovino at practically everything. He can never blame anyone for his being inferior to others.

He kept telling himself so.

"I only placed a calendar in this demo pen," Yong Soo continued, this time he was addressing the class and not just Lovino "but you can place any kind of paper in this secret compartment! And the pull-out mechanism is well hidden, that people won't know it's there! I bet this baby will come in handy for those desperate exams nobody had time to study for."

And the room grew louder and excited as the crowd of students became more interested in knowing how they can obtain one of Yong Soo's yet again, infamous device. It was irritating to say the least, but what can Lovino do? Spout more curses like his instinct told him to and be scolded again by Granpa when he hears of such behavior? No, that would turn out worse, not worth the brief relief he would be having if he did spit unflattering words to his (annoying, idiotic) classmates.

_Dumbasses…_

Lovino just huffed and turned away sharply, he was vaguely aware of Eduard giving a shake of his blond head beside him before going back to his all important book… What was it with scholars being general bookworms?

The young Italian couldn't have been more thankful when the classroom door opened again and Professor Kirkland came in, making the cluster of students drop the noise level and go back to their appropriate seats.

_Took him long enough!_ Lovino snapped inside his head… Of all the days to be late, he had to pick this one?

Not that the professor was late by too much, just five minutes or so, as the standard issued wall-clock in front of the room confirmed. But it was unlike the Professor to be less than punctual... And was it just Lovino or did the Professor's hair look just a bit tousled than usual? His overall posture seemed to be not a hundred percent polished this day too.

The students soon settled down and Professor Kirkland promptly opened up the floor with today's lecture. From the lack of wondering looks from his classmates, Lovino mentally sighed in resignation of being the only one yet again to take notice of the little details…

Such as the way their Professor seemed to clear his throat out each time before he speaks in between intervals, and how the blond educator kept on placing his hands behind his back, away from the sight of the class when addressing them, explaining some part of the lecture.

Lovino always had a keen eye for observation… His theory of why can be traced back to his almost blind twin brother.

He assumed that because Feliciano is far too trusting and naive for his own good, Lovino needed to have twice the amount of observation and suspicion skills than that of a normal person to compensate for his twin. Someone had to look out for the stupid, bubbly kid… And Lovino still can't quite trust the stern German Feli always hanged around with, thus his heightened senses in observation (and suspicion) were honed well and Lovino always seemed to notice even the tiniest of things.

He knew that the reason why Professor Kirkland kept on clearing his throat was to make sure that his voice didn't break when he used it; and the reason why their Mathematics professor subtly shifted his hands behind his back was because he wanted to conceal the slight tremor his hands acquire every now and then. Lovino saw the pale hands shaking a bit more than once when the Professor was writing, yet the man's penmanship on the board remained flawless and the other students were too focused on the content of the discussion to notice anything different about their Professor's behavior.

Or so Lovino thought.

A glance on his peripheral view showed that Im Yong Soo was also watching the Professor intently. There was a slight frown forming at the Asian's face as his dark brown eyes kept on surveying the Professor. It wasn't like the Korean to pay much close attention to professors conducting lectures, unless it was Professor Yao.

Lovino wondered what could make Yong Soo exceed the usual amount of attention he paid to Professor Kirkland…He shrugged it off a moment later. _Maybe someone asked him to or something_.

Why should he concern himself with people like Im Yong Soo who always annoyed the hell out of him? People like them are best left ignored… Lovino ignores _a lot_ of people. Or he tries to anyway.

Lovino went back to looking at the Professor himself. This time, his attention shifted to the blond man's eyes. Aside from the noticeable eyebrows and dark circles adorning their Professor's eyes, Lovino also saw them shine with something he hadn't seen before in the past days that he's attended his Math 108 classes, some kind of conflicting look… His frown turned into a suspecting scowl.

Aside from the tiny details which the blond professor managed to keep the other students from noticing, the lecture was actually done impressively. Lovino wasn't lying to his brother when he told him of what he thought about this newbie professor. He really wasn't half bad at all. The way he managed to carry on and conduct lectures even when he was noticeably (at least to Lovino) not completely in tip-top form was not something every professor could do…

Arthur Kirkland earned some respect in Lovino's book, which was an immensely great honor in itself. Not many are lucky enough to be tallied respect points in his book… Most of the time he tallies idiot points.

The lecture went on and ended just as smoothly as all their previous ones did. The students were dismissed and Lovino followed the other students out the classroom. Eduard lifted a hand in a small wave to him and he gave a nod back, the blond then headed off to the direction of the library, most probably to take his shift. The working scholar was one of the few tolerable people in this school Lovino can be civil with. Yong Soo smiled and waved exaggeratedly at him, "I'll awe you with my next invention for sure Lovi!" the Korean proclaimed and skipped off away. Lovino sent a glare after him.

He turned with one last look back to the almost empty classroom and saw Professor Kirkland smile at some girls who bothered him with lame excuses for questions, and high pitched giggles to crowd the professor's personal space.

That smile was more strained than usual… Lovino turned and walked away.

Maybe it wasn't what most people would call nice or kind, or even considerate… Lovino's attitude of attempted indifference towards most people that is. But he made his choice long ago; not everyone had to be a saint. He'd leave that kind of insane goodwill to people like his twin brother and maybe Eduard's older brother, that other scholar who had a reputation of being a nice guy… Lovino wasn't about to jump on the bandwagon and join their ride.

He knew perfectly well where he stood, thank you very much.

It wasn't his place to try and butt in to Professor Kirkland's business. So what if the man was having a rough time over something and yet tries his best to show people he isn't suffering? Let the man play on being a martyr, Lovino didn't care.

Everyone had their own problems damnit! And it won't be wise to shoulder other people's burdens on top of your own heap! Not everyone is blessed with friendly support in times of crisis…

And nope, that little twinge in his chest wasn't sympathy, nor was it guilt! …It's just that he had his tie on too snug and that was messing with his proper air intake, making his chest seemed blocked and weighed down by gelato.

_The man could do with some proper friends though. It's not so nice being alone all the time._

A minute of contemplating led Lovino to turn right the next corner and take the nearest route to his newly deliberated destination. The gardening club doesn't have a meeting for today, but it wouldn't hurt to check on the tomatoes and make sure _that guy_ was taking care of them properly.

Not that Antonio's ever let Lovino down before. The Spanish professor always had a smile and the stupid, yet somehow right words to offer whenever Lovino needed it…

Antonio seemed to have befriended the new professor too…

Also, unlike most people in this so called higher education attainment institution, Professor Antonio seemed to be the only one who smiled at Lovino and meant it, not smiled at him in mockery because he secretly talked about him behind his back or patronizingly just because he was related to the Head Dean and wanted to be in his good graces.

And maybe while he's visiting, he can drop a mention of Professor Kirkland's unwell state―Just because he had nothing better to do, not like he cares or anything! Of course he doesn't!

On that final happy note, Lovino marched down towards the ever welcoming sight of the greenhouse…

And a certain tall brunet who looked up with a stupid smile on his face and a cheerful wave over to him…

Maybe he'll spend more than just a few minutes attending to the tomatoes this afternoon. He'll need to stay a while and make sure they're in proper order after all.

―X―X―X―

Kiku heaved a silent grateful sigh when his feet landed on the final step of the stairs leading up to the students' dormitory's fourth floor. It had been a long day and ending it by climbing up four floors just to get back to his room only seemed to emphasize how hectic and tiresome his day have been.

Maybe he shouldn't have taken all those elective classes, but they were such a good foundation for the major he's planning on taking up that he couldn't resist. And it's not like they weren't interesting or anything. They were very much so… The only problem is that they can get a bit tedious when all of his classes demand to be written term papers and done projects for at the same time.

Kiku had his stars to thank that tomorrow would be more or less a free day and that allowed him time to finish all the preliminary requirements most of his subjects have demanded. It would be a very busy holiday for him.

The young Japanese made the short walk over to the door of his dorm room with the shiny plate reading Db12, took out his key to unlock the door but to his surprise, no click sounded as he turned it. He eyed his key attached to a dangling little kitty keychain for a few seconds.

That was strange.

He was sure he locked the door earlier before he left for his classes. And Alfred always seemed eager to leave early recently for reasons Kiku have yet to figure out, he was out the door before Kiku was ready for his busy day. And even if Alfred did come back earlier than Kiku, they had a mutual agreement to keep the door locked since both of them had keys anyway.

The thought that the lock might be broken was dismissed from Kiku's mind as he opened the door and saw the light, which he was also sure he'd switched off before he left, was now on. The smell of freshly cooked stir fry also told him that yes, Alfred was indeed back already. And the sound of pages of paper being flipped through none too gently and a pen being twirled in a fast, almost frustrated pace proclaimed that there was something wrong with his roommate.

Alfred never did homework the night before a class-free day.

And yet, there the American was, seated on the couch with his book and some papers scattered about the small center table of their room's modest living area. He was holding his pen and twirling it absently, the fast, harsh maneuvers of his hands reflecting his not-so-happy expression. His brows were drawn and his mouth set in a scowl so faint not many people could make it out as a scowl.

But Kiku saw it for what it was.

And surely enough, a better look at the text book sprawled open on the glass table revealed it to be a book on Differential Calculus.

It took a few more moments for Alfred to register the presence of someone else in the room, he was far too absorbed in twirling his pen, scowling, and abusing sheets of paper to notice that Kiku was standing in the doorway. When the American finally caught a glimpse of Kiku from the side of his eye, his face morphed from stunned to an automatic smile in the span of a few seconds.

"Hey there Kiku! What are you doing standing over there?"

Sometimes, Kiku doesn't know who Alfred thinks he's kidding… _Probably himself._ He thought with sad contempt.

That's fine though, Kiku is very good at games. Not just the digital kind. And he's very good at playing them with Alfred.

"Hello Alfred-kun." He greeted back with a smile of his own. Kiku stepped inside and closed the door behind him; making sure Alfred saw him lock it. Maybe it would not remind the blond of what he'd forgotten to do, but it was worth a shot. Turning around and seeing no apparent expression of realization on the American's face assured Kiku that his assumption that his friend was indeed distracted by something was confirmed.

"I was just surprised to see you studying," the dark-haired boy commented as he walked inside and deposited his bag on a vacant armchair near the couch. He kept standing though and smiled serenely down at Alfred. "I thought for sure you'll be playing some video game or maybe drafting lists about how you plan on spending Constitution Day tomorrow… If I remember correctly, last year you volunteered your help to every booth and that was the single day professors weren't seething in anger because of your…projects."

Alfred snorted and then laughed outright, momentarily letting go of the papers in favor of lightly fisting his blond hair while he laughed… His right hand stayed clasped around his mechanical pencil though.

"Your sharp memory comes in handy for more than just academic purposes don't it Kiku?" Alfred asked with a wider grin.

Kiku gave a small shrug. "I just like to pay attention…"

Alfred scooted over to the side and Kiku took the silent invitation and sat down beside him.

_I always pay attention, you just don't see it._

"To clear up your earlier confusions," Alfred announced when the both of them were seated comfortably on the couch "I did think about planning the things I need to accomplish tomorrow. If you look at the papers underneath that pile," he pointed to the untidy stack of papers scrawled with writings of numbers and variables, "you'll see that I've made nice progress in that area already."

The shorter student made no move of confirming it. Alfred's words were enough… Instead, he focused his brown eyes to meet blue ones before he proceeded on talking. "So after that you decided to kill some time by studying Math?"

A couple moments of silence passed before finally Alfred answered. "Well, I made dinner first, I remembered it's my turn tonight…" and the aroma from the steaming plate of stir fry seemed to intensify to justify Alfred's words. Kiku gave it a glance before shifting his eyes back and looking at his friend expecting him to continue further. "But I can't sit still without thinking about how my Math class went on this morning so I went ahead and tried my hand at doing the homework Professor Kirkland left us to see if I'd feel better once that's done…but I can't even answer the first item."

Kiku gave a slow blink. "Did something happen during your Math class Alfred-kun?"

That question seemed to be the key to trigger the onslaught of words Alfred Jones was capable of giving that night.

"You will not believe what crazy thing happened earlier Kiku!" Alfred exclaimed and Kiku had to back a little because of a startle. The blond didn't wait for any response from his roommate before he continued. "And there I was, actually thinking that my day would start out great because I was early and all for class and Professor Kirkland even talked to when I saw him earlier."

Alfred stopped narrating and he frowned before he continued. "He doesn't talk to me much anymore you know? The last I talked to him before earlier was three days ago… Sometimes it's like he avoids me on purpose or something." Then his sad look mingled with a bit of irritation before he shook his head off the expression and talked some more.

"So anyway, we were talking right? And it was kind of fun, it's always fun talking to him, then the bell rang and class began. I got out my notebook and everything because you can't come unprepared in his class, you'll miss a lot of things, and then before he even opened the discussion, he suddenly assigned a chapter's worth of self-reading and homework and walked out!" Kiku was glad that the rooms were pretty much soundproof, lest their next-door neighbors would've been thoroughly disturbed by now.

Alfred didn't seem bothered with his raised voice on the other hand. He continued to rant. "Without a glance back or even an explanation why he had to take off! He just left us hanging there! Didn't even bother to say if he was all right or not! There wasn't any kind of warning Kiku! Not a single one! And even now I don't have a clue to how he is!" he huffed and Kiku can't quite help his eyes widening at Alfred's outburst. "Now if that isn't crazy, I don't know what is."

By then, Alfred finally seemed pacified enough not to start shouting again anytime soon. His face took on a flushed color from his heightened emotion and the effort of ranting made his breathing heavier than normal, he was glaring at his Calculus textbook and he had his mechanical pencil on a death-grip…

To think that the ever cheerful, clever, and playful person Kiku knew as his roommate could get like this because of someone…

"Are you mad at him?" Kiku risked venturing the question.

"Yes!" Alfred answered instantly.

Kiku waited…

Alfred deflated a huff of breath and his earlier anger seemed gush out of him with it… His blue eyes softened before he restated a different answer. "No…. Annoyed, maybe. Or worried… I don't know."

_I should've known…_

"You mustn't be hasty in judging Alfred-kun." Kiku said softly, resigned to the fact Alfred will only take his words how he wanted to take them, "There wasn't any way to know for sure if maybe Professor Kirkland had some emergency to attend to or something…" then he hesitated, knowing what he would say next would carry some sting, but he gave in and eventually said, "Besides, it's not like you have the right to know every detail of Professor Kirkland's life, right?"

He saw the hurt flash through blue eyes. Kiku almost dodged the guilty feeling… Almost.

"That's just it, isn't it Kiku?" Alfred said in a subdued, miserable voice. "I don't… And yet I feel so―anxious, frustrated, and a lot of other adjectives I can't enumerate right now… But maybe he can. He's got a very wide vocabulary for a Mathematics professor you know. Or maybe it's because he's British…" He paused and looked up the ceiling, seeming to mull things over. "Yep, it's definitely because he's from across the pond." And then a silly smile pasted itself across his face.

"You seem very interested in him." Kiku found himself saying before he was aware of it.

"I do?" Alfred asked sounding a bit surprised at the comment. Then his voice turned and his blue eyes softened. "Yeah, I do don't I? It's pretty weird though, I haven't felt this way about anyone else before. Like I want to know everything about him for some reason."

Kiku cast down his eyes in favor of surveying Alfred's half-formed solutions to his homework. He chose to not give a reply to the American's previous statement… what can he say to that anyway?

The silence was broken by a shrilly tune coming from Alfred's mobile phone. The American picked up the device and read the message he got. His eyes intent and face serious.

"It's from Soo." Alfred said, by way of answering Kiku's silent inquiry. "I asked him to watch Professor Kirkland during their class… I better just call him." The blond got up from the couch and gave a smile to Kiku. "Thanks for listening Kiku, I could always count on you. You can go and eat dinner first. I think I'll be on the phone for a while."

Kiku watched Alfred head to the bedroom, already dialing his cousin's number on the mobile phone… As soon as the door closed behind the American, Kiku allowed himself to slump in the couch with a heavy sigh.

Brown eyes darted to Alfred's scattered homework on the glass center table.

"I suppose I can offer my help in figuring you out." He whispered, as if the bunch of paper would actually hear and understand him. Then his eyes narrowed a bit and he suddenly got up from the couch and went over to the wooden dining table by the small kitchen area of their dorm room.

"On second thought, I think I'll just let Alfred-kun deal with you on his own, painstakingly slow pace." He muttered to the air before taking the first bite of tonight's dinner… He told himself it was the bell pepper's fault why his mouth tasted bitter.

Kiku Honda supposed it was unbecoming of him, to not give a hundred percent support to his friend. And like Alfred, he also had no right to feel certain things directed to people out of his reach… He'll make it up. Not now though… Some other day maybe, after he gets over the taste of the bell pepper.

He can only keep on playing selfless so long without hitting 'pause' every now and then.

tbc

* * *

Xai's Corner: I'm not too happy with this chapter, partly because of the lack of AlfredxArthur moments… But I did what I had to do and I did it the best I could, so please don't hate me. I hope it wasn't too dragging… I've cut quite a few things but it still ended up this long, and to think I was considering making this and the next chapter into one chapter…

I'm sorry if it wasn't worth the wait, I'll try to make it up with the next chapter. I promise it won't take me two whole months again to update the next chapter… Partly because it's halfway done already.

And also, I noticed I have the habit of including things into my chapters without properly giving them appropriate explanations and references except the ones already found in the chapter (e.g. Constitution Day), so I opted to have a new section of "Footnotes" to make things clearer, I placed it below the "Translations".

I'm the shameless girl who keeps asking for reviews… so yeah, please tell me what you think about this chapter.

Translations:

_Consulente dell'Allievo_- Italian, "Student Counselor"

_Caramba- _A Spanish expression shortened version of "_Ay caramba_", it is used to denote surprise.

_Gracias-_ Spanish "Thank you"

_Si-_ Spanish "Yes"

_Adios- _Spanish "Goodbye"

Footnotes:

_**Matryoshka**_** dolls: **Also called "Russian nesting dolls or Babushka dolls". These are those cute dolls that are sectioned in half and decreasing in size and placed inside one another. If you know the show on playhouse Disney called "Higgly Town Heroes" you know what they generally look like.

"**SUICIDE? Call Hotline 1-800-DON'T DO IT!": **Yes, I admit I shamelessly pilfered this from the movie "Get Smart"… but to my defense, the Guidance Counselor's office at my University also have pamphlets that discourage students from suicidal tendencies.

_**Las hojitas**_**: **A Spanish nursery rhyme that translates into English as "Little Leaves"… I can't resist putting this in since Antonio is the adviser of Alexander University's Gardening Club… the brief lyrics translates as follows: "The little, the little leaves, fall from the trees. The wind comes and lifts them, and they begin to dance"

**Calendar Pen:** I don't know about other places, but when I was in high school a couple of years back, these pens were kind of famous… Some students actually use them to get advantages on difficult exams by writing the answers on the pull-out paper and peaking at them when the proctor isn't looking.

**Constitution Day:** According to my research, this is indeed a real event in the US and it is celebrated by schools receiving federal funds of any kind. There's a law there that states the schools should provide educational programming on the history of the American Constitution on that day. You can look it up on Wikipedia.

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Next Chapter: _What a person wants and what a person needs are two different things. Most people just tend to lean toward the former._


	6. Push Comes to Shove

Authors note: *Checks calendar* Would you look at that? As it turns out, I am a big fat liar… Now, I can explain why this is so late, but it can get long, so for those not interested, please feel free to skip to the third paragraph, (or if you're one of those people who don't bother with reading Author's notes; to the story itself) thank you…

Ahem… Sorry about the late update. I know I said it won't take almost two months again since I had this chapter half-way done by the time I posted the last one. And I didn't lie about that, at least I wasn't lying about the last part, I really did have half of this chapter written by that time, and I thought I wouldn't take so long to put up chapter four since my preliminary examinations (from where I'm from we call them 'prelims' for short) hove only just finished that time. What I didn't know was that after prelims ended, I have a whole bunch of requirements to be dumped on me by all my course subjects… The fulfillment of requirements eventually overlapped with the approaching final examinations and I found myself with no spare time whatsoever… Until now, where I think I'll be having two weeks of school-free time. I'll try my best to work within it and since I've learnt my lesson that life can get hectic when you least expect it, I'm afraid I can give no promises.

Alright-y! Time for my favorite part of ANs! The THANK YOU portion! I extend my gratitude to all those who've read the last chapter, and to those people who've place this story on alert and the wonderful people who keep putting this baby up with their favorites! You know who you awesome people are! Without you I don't how I'll ever find inspiration to keep on working on this. I hope you continue liking it. I would love to hear from you. :)

**Special thanks to:** Car, D.R.A.W., brokenpassions, Tensai55, MashednotHashed, Guppyvis, You Promised Me Jetpacks, Iv, Little Miss Umbreon, alguien22792, and Ceri Siracha for leaving reviews for the last chapter and voicing out their comments about my writing. I apologize I haven't given some of you guys proper replies yet, I just haven't had the time. I will next time I can. For now, please know that you receive my love and gratitude and I look forward to keep hearing from you! 3

Warnings: Grammar and spelling errors. Maybe, most probably a lot of them. And this is longer than my last chapters. And this contains criminal lack of AlfredxArthur together moments… They'll be coming along, soon.

Disclaimer: Me? Own Hetalia? Goodness no. I just play with them and make non-profit stuff like this on the character's expense… What's a fangirl to do, I ask you?

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Answer Key

By Synxailla

Chapter Five "Push Comes to Shove"

_What a person wants and what a person needs are two different things. Most people just tend to follow the former.

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_

A peek at the lovely roast inside the oven through the small window assured Francis that all was right in the world at the moment.

He had everything ready, from the salad entrée, to the side dish (Gilbert insisted on mashed potatoes), to the main course roasting adequately and about to be done any minute now, to the all important dessert; Francis's special mix batch of _chocolat _were cooling nicely inside the fridge.

Francis couldn't help going just a teeny-tiny bit overboard whenever he gets the chance to cook, which this little get-together provided. Maybe it's because of the French chef inside him.

Or maybe because he just wanted to rub in Arthur's face how great a cook he can be…

He chuckled at the honest thought and deemed it was now safe to take off his green apron. He gave a once over to his appearance reflected on his immaculate kitchen counter-top and grinned. He never gets tired of seeing his perfect self.

"You never get tired of ogling yourself, do you?"

Francis smiled at the sound of his friend's voice and turned to the doorframe leading from his kitchen to his living area to greet Gilbert with a smile. His silent smile turned to an audible laugh at the sight the albino presented: wrapped in streamers and dusted with glitters, with a couple of ribbons dangling on either side of his head.

"Well Gilbert, I see you took the decorating to a whole new level and decided to decorate in advance for the Yule season too. You make quite a handsome Christmas tree by the way."

"_Ha ha ha_, you crack me up Francis." Gilbert said in disdain, red eyes conveying clearly that he didn't find it funny one bit. "We've finished decorating, and I wouldn't try threatening to put ribbons on Vash hair again."

Francis laughed some more at that. "Only you would have enough disregard for your life to threaten messing with Vash's hair."

And Francis also knew that it wasn't true that Gilbert wouldn't try it again, _ever,_ more like wouldn't try it again this week to wait for the Swiss to have his guard down again. "You'd best tidy yourself up _mon ami_, I am sure you prefer to keep whatever dignity you can in front of Roderich when he comes by."

From behind Francis, the timer finally sounded a _ding_ and with the help of his trusty oven mitts, the French pulled out the perfect golden-brown roast and placed it on the table with the other food, giving a proud smile. After the task that officially marked the end of his cooking duties, he turned back to regard his friend.

"Yeah, like he could ever matchup..." Gilbert muttered and waited for Francis to join him outside the kitchen and into the living room. "You don't mind me using your bathroom do you?"

Francis took a while to answer because he was admiring the decorations Gilbert had put up with some help from Vash, Yao, and Heracles, since they all didn't have to work as late as others during Wednesdays. "_Oui_, feel free to use it."

It amazed Francis somewhat that Gilbert managed to convince Vash to work together with him and Yao and Heracles. It wasn't news that the Swiss professor wasn't exactly fond of the brunets for being a tad too lenient on their students, but Francis guessed he should've expected nothing less from his confident friend.

"What? No word of praise for our hard work?" Gilbert asked with a smirk…Though the glitter and ribbons on his head slightly ruined the effect.

But the decorations were commendable, that's for sure. The streamers were hanged elegantly and the tiniest amount of glitter applied made them slightly twinkle in a pleasing way. The ribbons were placed tactically, spread out enough to just the right distances successfully avoiding looking over-bearing. The big banner on the center of the room finished the whole thing nicely. Yao has such graceful handwriting; he did wonders with a brush, a real master in calligraphy.

"_Il est magnifique!_ You did a wonderful job!" Francis said, and made sure his voice was loud enough that Vash, Yao, and Heracles all heard him.

"Yeah, I know, we're awesome." Gilbert replied with a cocky grin. "Everyone will be here soon, so I guess you should run along now and fetch the newbie. Good luck with that."

"Of course." Francis agreed with a smile "Try to get everyone settled once they arrive."

Francis turned and went for the door after saying temporary goodbyes to Yao, Heracles, and Vash. The first one waved goodbye to him with a pretty, cordial smile, the second one gave a sleepy blink in reply, and the last one grunted "hurry on with it." When the three of them heard earlier that help was needed for the decorations for Arthur's welcome party, they surprisingly volunteered theirs. Such a nice mix of people Arthur had managed to acquaint himself with.

After taking the elevator down and getting out of the building where the private rooms of the university faculty and staff are situated, Francis found his eyes automatically darting up to the inky night sky.

The one thing he would always miss about his homeland would be the twinkling stars in the night sky. There weren't nearly enough of them in the United States. Even back when Francis was in Europe finishing his college education, and when he went to Canada for his on-the-job trainings, he saw more stars then there than he did nowadays here...

He cleared his mind from any more distractions, taking his eyes off the darkening sky and deciding that the nice big oak tree beside the pathway was wide enough to hide behind of in preparation of his plan of catching his dear old _friend_ unawares later. He took out a compact mirror he kept handy from his pocket and briefly glanced at his reflection before angling it in a way that let him see the view from the other side of the tree. A few minor adjustments of his hand, and…_perfect._

Now all that was left to do was stand and wait for his previous junior to walk by…

After a few other people passed by the tree Francis was hiding behind of, (among them only Antonio looked over the flash of the mirror and waved at him before moving on,) he caught sight of a mop of blond hair he knew to whom belonged almost instantly.

The target was finally in sight… Francis couldn't quite help the almost evil smirk from forming on his lips.

Oh yes, he did notice that the slow trudge Arthur had adapted was very uncharacteristic, and that the frown on the Briton's face was more pronounced than usual, and that overall, Arthur seemed to be down or possibly even a little ill… But those are all the more reasons to rile him up and shake him loose.

Well… Francis believed it was.

After timing down Arthur's walking pace, Francis counted down to when the other blond would be in perfect _pouncing _distance… He had to keep the mirror back in his pocket; lest the other man notice the flash from the small reflecting glass and spoil Francis's nice hiding spot.

_Five… Four… Three… Two… One!_

A flurry of things happened all at once… On the split second that Francis was out from behind the tree, he was able to grab hold of Arthur's wrist and was moving in to take hold of his other shoulder. But before Francis's second hand could land on any other part of Arthur's body, he felt the Englishman start, then tense, then move fluidly and shift within such a small amount of time it all seemed to happen in barely a blink of an eye.

Francis caught a glimpse of flashing emerald green as Arthur turned around before he had to shut his own blue eyes because the wind was knocked out of him the next moment.

When Francis recovered enough to open his eyes again, he was sure a smile was on his face as he felt his heart beat faster because of the physical shock he just went through and because of the all familiar _glare of death_ Arthur was giving him.

Francis absently took physical inventory of himself and realized that his back was up against the trunk of the oak tree he was behind of earlier and that his arms were effectively pinned; one to his side in Arthur's hold, the other behind his back in a not-so-comfortable position. Arthur's other arm leaned on his upper body, particularly, across his chest and shoulder, his hand closed around his throat…

Francis was sure if Arthur so willed it, the other man could apply more pressure to his air-way and choke him… His smile never faltered…

Though he did feel it widen.

"Good evening Arthur." Francis managed to say around the gentle-looking hand's hold on his throat. "The sky here has such little number of stars, don't you think?"

Francis was rewarded with Arthur's eyes flashing a darker shade of green and the hand on his throat clenching abruptly… before easing its hold and letting go altogether.

The air could've tasted of sweet wine but Francis only found himself worrying if Arthur had managed to leave marks of bruises on his neck… Wearing turtlenecks so soon after the summer ended wouldn't be very season fashionable.

"That was a _very _stupid move Frog." The shorter blond muttered as much as growled as he moved away and released Francis, after giving him a hard shove against the tree trunk to somehow express his anger.

"Yes it was." Francis replied smoothly with a small nod when he was free, a faint smile still on his lips as he straightened out. He winced slightly because of his sore (and probably bruised) back. "That black belt of yours never fades does it?"

Arthur have acquired quite a couple of nicknames back in a day, "_karate college-boy"_ was just one of the many _"bone-crusher"_ was another. He was also dubbed _"walking dictionary" _and _"living calculator"_ but those names were for another area of his wide range of reputations.

"I keep in practice… Unlike you it would seem." Arthur replied, seeming to go with the flow of topic shifts for a change. He crossed his arms and smirked a moment later "Or did all those times I beat the shite out of you whenever you underestimated me slipped your mind?"

"Oh, you must be remembering the times I had gone easy on you _mon ami_." Francis countered, clasping his hands in mock delight. "I simply didn't have the heart to pummel you to the ground. You looked so innocent and cute back then." _Now you look hurt and scathing._ Francis thought to himself, but decided to leave that out and offer a smirk instead. _We'll sort that out later hmm?_

Arthur's eyes narrowed and flashed dangerously again, but he seemed to have had his fill of physical violence already for he didn't reach out in attempt of getting Francis injured further.

"Keep telling yourself that Bonnefoy. I'm not the one pinned against a tree a moment ago." Arthur replied in a low voice before uncrossing his arms then turning and walking away as if deciding that Francis wasn't worth his time.

Francis of course, followed after the shorter blond. He couldn't have Arthur escaping this one. His gourmet meal would go to such unfortunate waste.

When he caught up with Arthur, he decided that he better just go on with Plan B, since his Plan A of 'somehow incapacitating and dragging Arthur along' didn't work. Well, plan A was more just for his personal fun than anything else anyway.

But that didn't mean Plan B had no fun elements in itself. Francis smiled as he scooted nearer the other blond and leaned over.

"Arthur, come over to my room tonight." Francis whispered into the British man's ears. He even blew softly into the appendage for a nice finishing touch.

Arthur predictably jumped away and looked at him momentarily in shock before another kind of angry expression took over his reddening face… _Now that's a nicer change from your pale complexion._ Francis thought with a satisfied smirk he didn't bother hiding.

"I knew you were mad Bonnefoy, but I didn't know it reached to this extent!" Arthur shouted at him, one hand covering his assaulted ear, the other pointing an accusing finger over the smirking French. "How dare you insinuate that I―that I…" his face grew steadily redder as he stammered a bit and opted to just skip to the next point. "and with you of all people! You are not only mad, you make me sick too!"

Francis couldn't help but chuckle. "The last time I checked people who feel sick turn pale with tinges of green. You on the other hand look as red as the ripest of cherries,_ mon cheri~_." He allowed a hint of a purr into his voice and watched as Arthur flinched back…

"_Don't_ call me that again." Arthur growled.

Francis ignored it and just shrugged.

"Besides Arthur, whoever said I was―what was your word? ...Oh yes, _insinuating_ anything?" The Frenchman said with a fine eyebrow raised "I simply presented an innocent suggestion that you come and visit me sometime. Only, that sometime happened to be tonight."

"Oh spare me. Do you really expect me to believe that you're capable of giving _innocent suggestions_ of any kind? I know you better than that." Arthur said, seeming to be over his flushed moment. He uncrossed his arms and gave Francis a flat, yet mocking look. "Now if you'll be so kind as to excuse me; I have better things to do than stay out here and talk nonsense with you."

Arthur then resumed walking on the stone path leading to the university staff's dormitory building. Francis watched him move on away for a while, and then he placed his second hand of cards on the table.

"There's no need to be so sour." Francis called after him, Arthur kept walking.

"Fine, I'll come clean and say it. I…" Francis blurted then paused for dramatic effect, satisfied that he caught back Arthur's attention. "I need your help Arthur."

"You want my help?" Arthur turned around and asked, the usual sarcasm dripping from his words. "After ambushing me from behind a tree, and saying vulgar words to my face, you're telling me that you want _my help_?"

"I think there's something wrong with your hearing… or maybe not, after all, _il n'est pire sourd que celui qui ne veut pas entendre_." Francis said, knowing that Arthur's familiar enough with basic French to understand the message, and surely enough, the Briton's scowl deepened. "I didn't say I _want_ your help, I said I _need_ it. That means that it's necessary Arthur, not a matter of choice on my part. Because if I had any choice, do you honestly think I'll come to you for help? It's about some test questions for the preliminary exams of the Math Department." There, that should make it more believable.

"Shove it Frog, you can't make me come." Arthur answered flatly.

"Why not? What's stopping you Arthur?" Francis asked, a challenge sounding in his voice.

Arthur gave a sigh, and all the signs of stress and weariness became visible on his features again. It gave Francis all the more reason to not let Arthur go.

"Just because…" Arthur answered and when Francis gave him an unconvinced look, Arthur continued. "I want people to leave me be for now. I can't come with you. I want to be by myself for a while."

_Ah you're not paying attention Arthur._

"Funnily enough, I deem you the kind of person who can make better excuses than that." Francis replied, his own voice a touch colder than earlier.

"I'm not making excuses!" Arthur exclaimed heatedly, and then seemed to have realized he was acting out the bounds of proper manners. He shifted his green eyes away, a self-conscious habit Francis was well familiar with from their college days. "Look…It's not like I don't want to help you. It's only that…" he took a deep breath and forced his green eyes to look back at Francis's blue ones. Francis almost gave in at the touch of pleading those eyes carried, but not quite. "I just want to be alone for now, Francis."

_What a person wants and what a person needs are two different things._

"It's fine, I understand Arthur." Francis said, dipping his head in a nod with a small smile on his lips. "I didn't mean to pressure you or anything, _je suis désolé._" Arthur eyed him suspiciously, but his look slowly turned pondering, and then his face eventually slacked to an expression of acceptance.

"That's fine" Arthur replied, and Francis didn't miss the relieved tone of his voice. "Maybe I'll help you tomorrow instead?" He'd known Arthur to be a kind and helpful person, deep, deep, deep, _deep_ down.

Francis portrayed a sad sorry smile. "_Non_, I'm afraid tomorrow would be too late already. It really needs to be finished tonight."

"How come? What is it you need done anyway?" Arthur asked, and Francis readied his back-up story in his head, making sure it would be about something Arthur couldn't help but be concerned over… It wasn't that hard.

"I'm drafting some of the test questions for the third year student's incoming preliminary exams, and I've been assigned to compile it with the rest… And well, while I was in the middle of looking them over, I found a few flawed items. There seems to be errors from the contribution questions from the other professors. I meant to check through all the questions thoroughly, but I didn't find time earlier…"

"Then just continue checking over them tomorrow." Arthur pointed out his head slightly tilted to the side "There won't be regular classes tomorrow right?"

"You see, tomorrow is the deadline the third year level coordinator had set to pass the exam drafts. He's pretty strict so I'll need to pass it on time to avoid upsetting him…He has a heart condition and mustn't be riled up, poor old fellow." Francis gave a sigh and ran a hand through his hair "Except for us two, no other Math professor is living in the dorms so I could only ask you. Well, I guess I'm just going to have to work all night…"

Francis paused before cracking the last nut, "but if worse comes to worse, the students would be forced to take faulty exams…" He gave a very nice imitation of a sad look and heaved a disappointed sigh. "Well, I'll leave you be now Arthur, I have a mountain of work to try and finish."

Arthur's eyes widened and Francis patted himself on the back. _Hooked and reeled mon cheri~_ He started to step away and walk ahead of the still stunned Briton. He wasn't five steps away when Arthur did a 180 degree turn...

"Francis wait!" Arthur called over and looked away when Francis turned to face him. "Perhaps I could spare some time before I retire for the night… I can help look over some of the test questions for a little while."

"Thank you Arthur," Francis replied with a smile he made sure to filter of any suspicious look. "You don't mind going with me to my room do you? I left the drafts there."

Arthur nodded his head and walked over to stand beside Francis. "I'm certain I am capable of knocking you out if you try anything inappropriate anyway." Francis's bruised back gave a throb as if in agreement.

"Your harsh words wound me Arthur." Francis replied as he and his co-worker started walking again on the stone path.

"Good, then we're even. My ear felt like it was going to drop off earlier" Arthur snapped back, a delicate-looking hand coming up to rub the said ear. Francis couldn't help but chuckle.

Pretty soon both of them arrived at their destination, and as Francis reached over and turned the knob on one of the twin doors of the building, Arthur stopped to look up one more time at the night sky… Francis was about to tell Arthur to hurry and get inside when Arthur spoke, still watching the sky.

"I think you're wrong Francis," Arthur said softly, green eyes intent on examining the sky "It's not that there are less stars here. They're still there… It's just that America's skies are so much higher." And then he brushed past a stunned Francis and entered the building.

―X―X―X―

Francis reached inside his pocket for his key when they arrived in front of his door. Of course, the key wasn't needed, his front door wasn't locked since he left it that way so that the others could come in and prepare for the surprise. But Arthur would suspect something if he noticed Francis didn't have his door locked. He made a show of feeding the key in the keyhole and then…

A distinct sound of glass shattering came from behind Francis's door.

"What was that?" Arthur asked immediately.

"Well, that sounded like one of my Parisian vases meeting its demise." Francis answered with a slight frown. "Why don't we go in and check?" He opened the door and darkness of the room welcomed them, he looked over to Arthur who was standing slightly behind him "After you." he gestured for the younger blond to go ahead of him.

"Why thank you" Arthur said dryly before walking in to the dark room.

"The light switch is on the wall to the right." Francis called after him with a smirk. Coming inside and closing the door, cutting the sole source of light from the room.

"I do live in a room with the same layout Frog, I know where it is." Arthur grumbled in reply and turned his head to the right, squinting at the darkness before reaching over to grope for the light switch.

A click sounded and then light flooded the room.

"SURPRISE!"

A loud chorus of voices shouted and the sound of party poppers directed at their guest of honor exploded almost synchronically.

Francis smiled at the look Arthur had afterwards, green eyes wide and mouth hanging open, streamers and confetti adorning his stunned form as he took in the sight of the many people who shouted_ "surprise" _and was smiling at him. The Briton was abruptly pulled away from his place rooted by the wall next to the light switch by a grinning Antonio and Gilbert.

"Took you a while to get here Arthur! We were beginning to think you've kicked the bucket." Gilbert said, dragging Arthur to the group of people waiting for him on the center of the living area.

"Or maybe you were burying Francis's corpse somewhere outside campus." Antonio added with a smile, also ushering the flabbergasted blond along. "But since both of you made it here alive I guess everything worked out!"

Francis had to roll his eyes at that comment, though the smile on his face remained… Arthur's expression on the other hand was far from a smile. His eyes were still wide as he kept looking from Antonio, to Gilbert, to the group of people in the room and his mouth opened and closed as if struggling to find words to say.

Finally after a few more moments of being rendered speechless, the shock seemed to have worn off enough for Arthur to finally blurt out "What is all this?"

"Your welcome party of course," Francis said pointing out the obvious, like the square root of four being two. He pointed to the banner hanging up with the words "WELCOME ARTHUR!" written in big elegant letters to present Arthur with evidence.

Arthur looked up to where Francis was pointing and seemed to have seen the banner for the first time, but instead of realization flooding his face, more shock seemed to seep in him.

"No…" Arthur whispered his voice laced with a touch of desperation.

"Yes." Francis hissed in delight. "Now _mon ami, _don't just stand there and gawk at the decorations. These lovely people graced us with their presence to welcome you! Let's not be rude and keep them waiting hmm?" and together with Antonio and Gilbert, he steered Arthur to the small crowd of people.

"I guess you've already met some of the people here." Gilbert told Arthur once they've dragged the reluctant Briton over "Like that stiff physician and crazy nurse-lady." He said motioning to Roderich and Elizaveta.

"Call me crazy to my face one more time Gilbert!" Elizaveta shouted as her husband tried to restrict her from charging "We'll see how much blood that arrogant nose of yours can bleed out before you get blessed with unconsciousness."

The little antic caused the people to laugh and the atmosphere to liven up considerably, but Francis noticed Arthur wasn't affected by it. He was still tense and looked ready to run off the next moment he could manage… _Better lock him in place then_.

"Arthur, I don't believe you've met Professor Väinämöinen." Francis said, getting Arthur's attention. He shifted (read: dragged) Arthur so that the other blond was facing a shorter blond man with brown eyes and a friendly smile. "This is Tino, he's a Social Science professor."

"I major in Humanities," TIno said and offered a hand, Arthur automatically took it in a handshake. "It's nice to finally meet you properly. I've been hearing a lot about you from some of my students. They adore you. I don't think I've ever seen them get this excited over a new professor before."

A harsh blush painted itself on Arthur's cheeks at that comment and Francis had to wonder…

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well Professor Väinämöinen." Arthur replied, pronouncing the name properly, ever the minder of good manners.

"Please call me Tino; I know my last name is a mouthful, I originally came from Finland." Tino offered with smile.

"Then please feel free to call me Arthur as well." Arthur answered.

"Arthur then." TIno looked behind him as if searching for someone. "You have to meet Susan, I know he's around here somewhere… Ah! There he is." He gave a wave to a tall stern-looking blond before turning back to Arthur who was wearing a confused look.

"He's Susan?" Arthur asked. Tino just smiled. Soon enough _Susan_ was standing beside them and Arthur had to crane his neck back a bit to look at the tall man's (scary) face properly.

Francis prayed Arthur won't get intimidated by the tall man and make him want to leave… Then again, it took a lot to intimidate Arthur… And he was certain Arthur wanted to leave since he switched on the lights.

"My name is Arthur Kirkland, it's nice to meet you." Arthur said and offered a hand to the tall man.

"Berw'ld Oxenstierna" the tall man replied as he shook Arthur's hand.

"Berwald here, ― well I call him Susan from time to time ― teaches Physics." Tino explained, "His forte is Mechanics. And he's originally from Sweden." The smiling man looked up to Berwald and the other gave the barest lifting of the corners of his mouth. Francis thought that could count as a smile.

"I see. Most of the Professors here are from different places huh?" Arthur commented.

"Well you know what they say, the USA is the melting pot of nations… And the dorms are convenient for those of us away from home." Tino replied, "By the way Arthur, we have a little something for you." The man presented Arthur with a small box wrapped in simple blue paper. Arthur's eyes promptly widened.

"Thank you but I couldn't possibly accept that." Arthur said trying to deny the present.

"Nonsense, it's a welcome present" TIno said, pushing the small box back into Arthur's hands. "Susan is great at craftsmanship. He made that himself, I helped a bit but most credit goes to him though."

Arthur gave a smile to the two other professors before he was ushered to open the box and Francis peaked at the contents over his shoulder. Inside was a tiny flower, a red rose in bloom delicately carved from wood, it was even planted in a green wooden pot.

"It's beautiful…" Arthur murmured, Francis mentally agreed. "Thank you, both of you."

"You're welcome…" Tino replied. "We heard that you favored roses and thought this would help you feel more at home." Tino shifted to regard Francis with a small wink which he answered right back while Arthur was busy admiring his new gift. "Well, I suppose you'll want to meet everyone else first so we'll leave you for now." Then Tino and Belward drifted off.

"That's a nice gift." Francis voiced out and Arthur jerked his head from the rose to look at him.

"Yes, it is quite princely." Arthur murmured, and then his eyes regained a sharp gleam and he pinned them on Francis. "Don't think for a second I have forgotten what you did… You lied about those test questions!" he hissed.

"I needed a cover story to convince you to come." Francis explained smoothly, "I couldn't have all these people waiting here for nothing could I? Now, why don't we move along so you can meet the University Counselor and the Head Librarian?"

The next pair of people Francis introduced Arthur to can fall into sort of the same category as the first pair. One was smiling and friendly looking, while the other exuded creepy vibes without even trying.

"So you're Arthur da? I heard from Yao that you're a nice person." Ivan Braginski said with a smile "Stay being nice to him so I won't be mad at you, da?"

Arthur nodded with a weak smile.

"Isn't Vanya sweet?" Katherine asked with a proud smile "My little brother can be a little protective at times… How are you fairing here so far Professor Arthur?"

"I'm settling in nicely Ma'am Katherine, thank you for asking." Arthur replied… He seemed to have adjusted enough and trained his eyes to look the pretty girl in the face when addressing her instead of her healthy chests.

"That's nice to hear. I was afraid you'd have troubles making friends. It was a good idea, this welcome party I mean." She said and Francis couldn't help a self-satisfied smirk.

"Well I'm sure I would've met all of you even without this silly party." Arthur said, trying his best to be nice while being contrary. "We all live in the same building after all."

"That's true, but you wouldn't be forced to smile as much as that otherwise, da." Ivan said with his ever-present smile, and Arthur didn't try to correct him.

"We would like you to have this," Katherine said, interrupting any reply Arthur might've given. She handed Arthur a book, the cover read "Stardust".

"Thank you." Arthur replied, thinking better than to try and refuse the welcome present this time. "I'll read it when I have time." He added with a smile. Francis repressed a snort with difficulty.

_You'll read it even if you _don't _have time._

After that, Francis saw Yao and steered Arthur over to the Chinese man.

"Have I told you that Yao helped with the decorations?" Francis asked Arthur. "He was the one who wrote the banner."

"Really Yao, you wrote that? It's beautiful." Arthur remarked, smiling in awe at the petite Chinese man.

"Thank you, I used to practice calligraphy. I still do whenever I have free time, aru." Yao explained, "It's nice to see you looking well Arthur."

"Yes, I'm glad I didn't break into a fever or something too." Arthur replied with a smile. "Thank you again for the aspirins and candies earlier… And thank you for helping with the decorations, you didn't have to."

"I wanted to help welcome you Arthur, don't be silly about it, aru." Yao reprimanded and then took a fluffy stuffed panda toy seemingly from thin air and shoved it into Arthur's arms. "Smile and try to have fun tonight!" Yao gave a beatific smile before walking towards Ivan who was silently admiring some of the paintings lining Francis's walls.

"Where in the world did Yao get this from?" Arthur asked looking at the black and white bear in wonder. Francis could give him no answer.

"Ah… Arthur. When did you arrive?" A sleep laden voice suddenly asked from behind them. They turned and found Heracles standing there while scratching his head, making his dark hair look more tousled.

"I've been here for a while now Heracles." Arthur answered with a soft chuckle and a smile that looked just a tad too fond for Francis's tastes… or maybe that was just him. "How did you manage to sleep through all the racket?"

"I took a nap after we finished putting up the ribbons and Francis left" Heracles recounted in a voice that sounded like someone talking in his sleep. "And then I woke up when I heard glass shattering…" that comment reminded Francis that he needed to check on his vases later. "but the room was dark and I fell asleep again… and then I dreamt about loud cheers and popping sounds."

"Well then, I can safely say your dream came true. And I thank you enough for your efforts in…all of this." Arthur vaguely motioned a hand around the room, as if not quite sure how to properly term the event going on, being the typical light of the party that he is. Francis had to smother a chuckle.

Heracles gave a sleepy smile "You're welcome Arthur." Then he abruptly handed Arthur a cylindrical object, about half the length of Arthur's arm and thrice as tick, wrapped in green gift wrapper with a purple ribbon. "You're welcome for that one too." He said, gesturing to the bundle he gave Arthur.

"Uhm… Thank you." Arthur replied a bit uncertainly.

"Sorry if the wrapping is a bit crumpled. I think I used it as a pillow earlier. But I don't think the present inside is ruined… At least I hope not." Heracles said with a finger scratch on the side of his face.

"Why don't we have Arthur open it and see?" Francis suggested. He was getting curious about what the rather large package contained. To his great joy, Arthur unexpectedly obliged his request as quick as that…

The ribbon was removed, followed by the dark green wrapper, and the gift revealed itself to be a rolled-up doormat. Arthur took hold of the string twining it between his fingers, ready to tug it loose. But first, he looked from the mat to Heracles, and the Greek gestured with a smile for Arthur to continue on with the unwrapping. Francis suppressed a sigh, only Arthur would look to others for permission in opening presents meant for him.

Arthur unrolled the mat and it revealed to have the word "welcome" printed on it, with small cat paw prints littering the sides of it…

"I thought you could use some traces of kitties in your room… Even if just footprints… Well, artificially printed footprints." Heracles said, referring to the mat.

Arthur looked at it with a smile and gave his first real laugh of the night. It was soft and as subtle as clouds shifting with the wind, that if one didn't pay attention, on wouldn't have had noticed it… Francis noticed though.

"Thanks Heracles. I appreciate the… welcomes." Arthur said and then let another laugh sound through, this one less concealed than the first.

"Don't mention it." Heracles replied, which Francis was thankful for. If he'd heard the word _welcome_ again within the next minute, he didn't think he'd be able to not groan. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to excuse me for a while Arthur. I need to look for my keys somewhere… They weren't in my pocket when I woke up."

"Oh, we'll help you search for them then." Arthur offered, and Francis didn't bother scolding the Brit for dragging him in with the offer. A proper host takes proper care of his guests, especially his guest of honor.

"You don't need to," Heracles replied with a sheepish, albeit still half sleepy smile. "I'll just trace back my steps, and they're very noticeable anyway, the Kitty keychain is a sure giveaway, I've always found them again before…"

"Are you certain you can manage on your own?" Arthur asked, and Francis echoed the question in his head. The taller brunet looked like he can fall asleep standing up.

Heracles' droopy eyes looked back at Arthur with a friendly smile and then nodded slowly. "You go ahead and have fun. See you later." Then he drifted away, Arthur and Francis blinking after him.

"Nice mat." Francis commented after a while.

And then, from another corner of Francis's rooms a stern voice snapped;

"Put that brush down if you know what's good for you Beilschmidt."

"Aw, don't be such a kill-joy Vash!" A voice Francis could pinpoint distinctly as one of his best friends said "Face painting is all the rage in parties you know!"

"What are you? A five-year-old?" the voice, which Francis now recognized as Vash's replied.

Then a new voice Francis identified as Antonio's added "It's childishness like that which broke Francis's picture frame in the first place earlier."

Francis felt his eyebrow twitch.

"Excuse me for a moment." Francis said as he turned to regard Arthur with a sweet smile. Then he walked to where he heard the voices, his sweet smile turning into something else the farther he got away from his former junior.

He found the three voices he'd heard in the corner of the living room next to the kitchen doorway, still engaged in a conversation-slash-argument. Antonio had a smile on his face and Vash had his ever-present serious look on. Gilbert was the first one to notice him and the albino suddenly put down the brush he was brandishing (which seemed like the one Yao used earlier to pain the banner) at the smile Francis had on.

"H-hey there Frenchie!" Gilbert greeted and tried his usual grin. Francis didn't buy it.

"My picture frame, _mes amis_?" He said, getting straight to the point. It seemed was wrong about his Parisian vases meeting trouble…

Something much more precious had been damaged.

Gilbert flinched a bit, confirming him as the main culprit of the crime. Antonio looked sheepish, confirming that the crime really did happen. And Vash just looked at them confused… Francis decided to take that last one as a good sign.

"It wasn't on purpose!" Gilbert cried, already on the defensive. "It was dark, and Antonio kept trying to take it from me!"

"You were keeping it to yourself and kept snickering as you looked at it." Antonio accused back. "I got curious!"

"They waged a hushed tug of war over it and it predictably fell to the floor and shattered the glass." Vash finished explaining, sounding exasperated and annoyed.

Francis looked from Vash to Gilbert, his blue eyes conveying how serious he was when he asked the pale man his next question.

"_L'a-t-il vu?"_

"It was dark." Gilbert replied back with a shake of his head, and the rare solemn look on his red-eyes made Francis relax a bit.

"I saved the photo." Antonio announced, then took out the small photograph from his pocket. He offered it face-down to Francis with a smile.

Francis took it gladly and slipped it inside his breast pocket. He gave a sigh as he regarded his two friends with lightly scolding looks.

Vash, who was looking at the three friends with the lost look of someone who doesn't know what's going on seemed about ready to ask questions when Arthur came over to them with a wondering look. His arms were full of the different "presents" he kept receiving all night.

"What are you gents talking about?" Arthur asked, after regaining balance of his burden, barely keeping _Stardust_ from falling from his arms.

"That's what I'd like to know also." Vash muttered and Francis had to quickly think of a distraction.

"I think it's time for dinner _oui?_ Everyone must be famished by now." Francis suggested abruptly, and as if to make up for their earlier crimes that night, Gilbert and Antonio readily agreed.

Despite the still present curiosity of both green-eyed blonds, dinner went on ahead and answers were kept from them.

During dinner, Arthur received a couple more gifts. Roderich and Elizaveta gave him a first-aid kit with suggestions to take better care of his health. From Vash, the Briton received a special edition Swiss army-knife with built-in seven extra features..

Arthur wasn't the only one who received nice things during dinner… Practically everyone in the room complemented Francis's cooking, and he smiled and thanked each one politely enough whenever they praised him. Katherine and Elizaveta have already asked him for the recipe of his salad.

"You can still cook I see." Arthur mumbled; his plate full of the different dishes Francis made earlier. He kept looking like he was fighting hard to give a scowl whenever he chewed and swallowed… He ate with relish considering other things.

"And I assume you still can't." Francis replied with a smug smile.

Arthur flashed him a glare but otherwise said nothing. They've fought over Arthur's (lack of) cooking skills so many times before that maybe the younger blond had enough of it. Or maybe he didn't want to appear brusque in front of others… Shame, Francis would've welcomed another lively conversation and hurling of insults.

The attention of everyone the room was caught by the smiling tower also known as Ivan Braginski. The Russian abruptly set a bottle of vodka hard on the wooden surface of the dinner table.

"Would anyone care for a drink?" and cheers exploded as glasses were filled and then passed around.

Francis saw Arthur jump slightly from beside him when Gilbert extended a glass to him. "Come on new-guy! It's _your _party; it's not fair if you don't get wasted!"

"I don't think I should." Arthur said waving his hands in a rejecting gesture.

Gilbert looked like he wasn't going to let it go, but Francis decided he should sweep in smoothen things out for the younger Math professor.

"I think Arthur's worried his headache might worsen if he drinks tonight, isn't that right?" Francis asked Arthur with a subtle wink. Arthur frowned at him but gave a perfect agreeable face to Gilbert. The albino shrugged and passed the glass to Antonio instead.

"Why'd you do that?" Arthur asked once Gilbert was safely out of whispering distance.

"Do what?" Francis asked with a smile.

Arthur answered him with a _"you-know-perfectly-well-what"_ look.

"You're thinking too much Arthur!" Francis exclaimed. "Sit back, relax…have some dessert." And then he offered Arthur the tray of chocolate-y pastries he'd whipped up especially for the sweet-tooth bearing Arthur.

Arthur still eyed him warily but took a piece of the dessert and bit a small portion. Francis had to smirk when Arthur's eyes widened a bit before taking another bite from the_ special_ pastry with much more gusto. With each tiny sweet that vanished into Arthur's suddenly very active mouth (for sweets anyway, shame) Francis felt his plan for the night getting closer and closer to fulfillment.

He'd have Arthur cured of his little depression before morning.

―X―X―X―

There were times when the world would feel less than a hundred percent solid under his feet. Those times often happened when he was under the influence of alcohol… He hadn't had a drop of alcohol all night, so Arthur thought it absolutely absurd why he would sometimes sway on his feet now whenever he tried to stay standing for extended periods of time.

He contemplated some more about the peculiar phenomenon while sitting down on a comfy red velvet chair with a frown on his face and popped another of Francis's chocolate-y treats into his mouth. He was given another batch some time ago after he ate his way through the second batch and to be honest, they're too good to resist.

"An' then, an' then, h-he shouted at me an' kicked me in the shins!" Antonio cried out woefully from one of Francis' couches he took for himself, Gilbert claiming the other, while they worked on draining the last drop of the seventh vodka bottle Ivan magically produced from his person. "I think…think, t-that he meant it this time!"

Gilbert was smiling rather like a stupid…well, stupid smiling man. Arthur didn't think the albino actually registered that his brunet friend was complaining to him.

Arthur was proved wrong however when Gilbert's lips parted into a toothy grin before he asked "Meant wut?"

"T-that he…he…" Antonio's voice quivered some more and Arthur could see, though his vision was becoming a teensy-bit blurry, that the Spaniard's green eyes were starting to water "HE HATES ME! Uuwaahh!" and the botanist continued to bawl like a child.

"Pleasshe!" Gilbert said, loudly enough to be heard over Antonio's cries. "I would bet my aweshome pet bird that Lovino would shtill come by your little garden before the week ish over!"

Antonio didn't seem to have heard any of Gilbert's encouraging words. "Why? All I did was… was…" he paused as if thinking back to what exactly he did. "-mention I visited Ivan's office an' that Torris was n-nice e-enough to pass on a message! Then he glared at me…I-it's just…_triste, tan muy triste._"

That made Gilbert laugh outright, in turn making Antonio cry harder. Arthur looked around the living room weakly for help.

He found none.

Everyone except him, Antonio and Gilbert had already left Francis's room. The latter two stayed because there was still alcohol left to be drunk… Arthur stayed because of the chocolates.

Arthur sighed and decided that since Francis went to the kitchen to fetch…well, ― something he can't quite remember ―, it would be up to him to try and pacify the two hysterical professors laughing, and crying on either couch. He moved the tray of chocolates from his lap to the side table and stood up, which he immediately regretted doing when the floor decided to turn into mush under his feet once more.

He swayed but was caught by a grip on his upper arms, saved from gracelessly tumbling into a painful heap onto the mush that was the floor. Would it have hurt though? When the floor was turned to unsteady mush as it was? Now that was a question worth pondering about.

"Steady _mon_ _cher._ You wouldn't want to fall and hurt that pretty little face of yours now hmm?" Francis told him as he was gently set back down into the comfortable cushioned chair.

"Shut up." Arthur muttered. He thought his voice sounded weird, but couldn't pinpoint exactly how or why.

"You're very much welcome." Francis replied to Arthur's non-existent thanks with an infuriating chuckle. He handed Arthur a tall glass of water from the side-table, the Frog must've placed it there when he had to catch him from falling down. Arthur suddenly realized he was very parched and immediately took a sip from the glass.

He would've drunk the whole thing in one go, but his arms weren't very coordinated at the moment and he was afraid he might spill the water on himself if he tried. He refused to look like an idiot in front of the pompous French.

After his thirst was somewhat quenched, the glass was taken from his hands before they could go limp and the tray of chocolates was placed back on his lap. He automatically took a bite from one of the little pastries…

A sharp, rather wet sniff reminded Arthur that Antonio was still crying like a kid and Gilbert was laughing at him like a playground bully. Before he could say anything about it though, Francis was already moving towards the other two occupants of the room.

"Now what seems to be the problem here?" Francis asked, taking a wooden chair and dragging it in between the couches the other two professors were settled on. He sat on it and crossed his legs elegantly, the very epitome of poise and grace.

_Stupid Frog._

"Oh Franshish! You'll looove thish!" Gilbert exclaimed, recovering enough from his laughing fit to talk somehow coherently. "Antonio managed to make Lovino jealoussh! Without being aware of it! Agaaain! _Mein Gott!_"

Antonio predictably cried harder… Arthur found himself wondering idly if the _Lovino _they kept mentioning was the same _Lovino Vargas,_ a student in one of his class…

Francis sighed and turned to the crying brunet. "We've been through this talk _countless_ of times _mon ami._ I keep telling you to pick your words carefully when dealing with your little Lovino. He's a rather sensitive brat ― I mean young man, and he also has violent tendencies. I told you to avoid upsetting him."

"Lishten to him Ton-ton!" Gilbert exclaimed from where he was sprawled on the other couch, the silly grin still wide on his face "Doctor Frenchie knowsh a lot about romansh! He needsh all the knowle…knowl…knowledgshe he can get hish handsh on if he hopesh to shuccsheed in hish imposhiple pinning conquesht afterall! Hahaha!" and he proceeded to laugh himself silly again.

Arthur wondered what Gilbert was talking about. Francis wasn't the type to pin for someone. He's the type to shag all those willing and seduce all those who aren't with sweet words and gentle touches. He'd seen a lot of people become putty in the hands of the other Math professor.

"I…I tried Francis! I tried hard!" Antonio exclaimed. "An' I thought I was doing s-so well… but, but… _¡Pero seguía siendo tan estúpido!_" The Spaniard bawled some more.

"You are not stupid Antonio." Francis said firmly. That seemed to have some effect on the brunet for he stopped bawling and paid attention to what Francis said further. "You're not, you never were." Francis added in a much gentler tone Arthur rarely heard from the taller blond.

"_Pero…_"

"No buts." Francis said, and it sounded very much final. "Now, about Lovino, your apologies always worked on him before right?"

Antonio nodded.

"Then I don't see any problem. Just give him a sincere apology and tell him you never meant to upset him. Problem solved, _non?_"

Antonio nodded again.

"It wash a shtupid thing to fight about anyway!" Gilbert said abruptly from the other couch. "Now, face-painting and ribbon tying! THOSHE are shome worthwhile thingsh to fussh over!"

"I still stand by my opinion that you have a death wish by ruffling Vash every chance you get." Francis told the albino flatly.

Gilbert's grin turned into a mysterious smirk.

"Nothing wrong with wanting a challenge right?" he asked in a voice that sounded confident Francis wouldn't argue back.

Francis didn't.

Before the silence could get its awkwardness through Arthur's ever-so-slightly fogged up mind, Gilbert laughed again, kicking his feet in the air like a tickled child.

"Did you know Vash ish very good at making ribbonsh becaushe he ushed to do hish little sishter'sh hair when she was wittle?" He giggled like the wasted man he is. "Can you imagine him combing shomeone's hair and tying pretty ribbonsh on them?"

Antonio gave a little drunken giggle of his own, obviously over his crying and now seemed to be picturing Vash doing exactly what Gilbert said.

"Right, I think it's time you two drift off to your dreamlands and get some rest." Francis announced, standing up from the wooden chair and walking to the room Arthur assumed was the bedroom.

"Aww, but we're not tired!" Antonio and Gilbert whined in perfect unison.

Francis came back out, carrying two blankets and covering both drunken man with the warm looking sheets. There were a couple more of weak protests, but the two eventually quieted down and drifted to sleep.

Francis sighed and walked back where Arthur was seated while watching the interactions between the three friends earlier. The French flopped down on an arm-rest of the red chair Arthur occupied and reached down to take a chocolate from the tray on Arthur's lap for himself. He looked weary, but he carried the air of a man used to the unusual antics that happened not too long ago.

"That happens often doesn't it?" Arthur voiced out. He could swear there was something not right with his voice, but he still can't put his finger on it.

"Why do you think I have _two _couches in my rooms?" Francis replied smoothly.

"Hmm…" Arthur chewed on another pastry. "You make quite a good caretaker." He didn't know why he said it out loud. Though he found out why his voice sounded different, it was raspy, which was an occurrence that only usually happened to him in places like pubs.

Francis swallowed his second chocolate, (Arthur was considering slapping his hand away if he reaches for another, then the Briton remembered that it was the Frog who made the sweets in the first place and decided against it) before he turned his blue eyes and regarded Arthur with a serious look.

"You_ could _tell me you know." He said sincerely, his blue eyes shining.

But they were too sharp, not deep enough, not bright enough, and just…not what Arthur wanted.

"Tell you what?" Arthur asked after a while.

"The capital of England," Francis snapped, dryly, sarcastic. "What's bothering you, obviously." He amended soon after.

Arthur's first thought was to snap at the Frog to mind his own bloody business, but then his fogged up mind made him think second thoughts and he eventually settled on replying.

"I think I'm afraid."

That left Francis blinking. Arthur can relate to the feeling. He was pretty shocked of what he just said himself.

"Afraid of what?" Francis asked after he recovered.

Arthur looked at his former senior and saw that he genuinely wanted to know. More importantly, he wanted to help… Arthur breathed a sad sigh.

"I'm not sure exactly." He admitted, then said nothing for a while. Francis waited. "But I do know I was never this afraid before."

Seven heartbeats of silence filled the room, with only Gilbert's snores and Antonio's soft mutterings sounding over the room.

Arthur looked over to Francis and he saw the other blond worrying his lip… The last time Arthur saw Francis do that was back in their college days, just before a Mathematics competition between their school and another started. He was nervous back then…

_Why would he be nervous now?_

"Arthur," Francis finally said, after releasing his abused lower lip "are you…" a deep breath and then "you don't―regret, taking on the job offer here…do you?"

Arthur felt his eyebrows knit together. _What kind of question was that?_

"No." he answered truthfully. He didn't miss the relief that crossed Francis's face when he gave his answer, and he can't quite understand why the taller blond would think of such a silly thing.

After all of the nice presents people here have given him, after all the warm smiles and genuine concern he'd been poured on by the kind people he's working with, after all the good-will his fellow workers have shown him, after all the respectable looks he's received from his freshmen students, after all of the effort he exerted in making considerable progress in teaching his sophomore classes, there was no way he'd regret accepting the offer of a teaching post in Alexander University.

Besides, he's long over his adjustment-period jitters. He's been over it since the end of his first class in the University.

"Alfred Jones told me I'm worth it." And once again for the nth time since his first day of stepping foot into his new life as a tertiary level educator, Arthur found his mind occupied by the same student with an infectious smile, and almost musical laugh.

It seemed as if all previous thoughts from his lightly fogged mind were thrown out and replaced smoothly by Alfred; the cheerful young man, clever yet oblivious; his smiles and his wonderful blue eyes.

How many expressions have he seen pass through those eyes?

From shining smiles the young man often wore whenever he looked at Arthur, to the fierce lividness that flashed one time during their lunch together when the student thought Arthur was being "bullied".

From the self-assured light that shines in them whenever the student manages to answer problems in class correctly, to the wary caution that overshadows them whenever the American thought he'd pushed too far in his witty teasing.

From the unbelievable gladness that takes over them whenever their owner laughs that wonderful carefree laugh of his, to the worried concern from earlier when Arthur left the class all of a sudden, the look that he felt boring holes on him long after he ducked out of the classroom…

"Alfred Jones?" Francis asked from beside him, snapping Arthur back to the present "The sophomore student?"

Arthur felt heat across his face and knew that a harsh blush had painted itself on his cheeks by now. He didn't even realize he'd mentioned Alfred's name out loud before Francis inquired.

What would Francis think of him now? Would he be seen as some weakling needing the help of a student to get over his nerves and be given smiles to brighten his days?

He felt himself give a tiny nod despite tucking his chin down in attempt to conceal his face while his blush faded away… (which didn't seem to want to go away anytime soon)

A couple of moments passed before Francis cleared his throat smoothly and then said "So you've become friendly with your student?"

Arthur chewed on his lower lip while he contemplated the answer to that question. Had he became friendly with Alfred F. Jones?

Well, the student was enthusiastic enough. And he's quite amicable, if one looked past his initial outburst of yapping. And the student also seemed to be quite fond of talking with Arthur, coming to the point of going to classes early just to catch Arthur free in between classes for a few minutes of passing conversation, like earlier for example…

But what about him? What about Arthur? Had he really been becoming friendly with this new student he bare knew from a couple of days ago?

Now that he thought about it (as much as he can think around the haze inside his head), maybe he really was growing close, and dare he say it, rather fond of his loud-mouth American student… Every time Alfred pulled one of his silly little antics, sure Arthur would feel annoyed somewhat, but after the initial irritation pass, something warm in his chest replace the feeling soon after.

The fog inside his mind muffled the voice screaming for him to stop talking to Francis about such a personal thing that even he himself wasn't certain of at the moment.

"I… think I have."

But that can't be good right? Because, well… because… surely there was something wrong about all that? Surely he can't just feel… whatever it was he was feeling for his student because there were boundaries for such things… weren't there? And what right did he have to leech off from the young man's smiles and positive attitude anyway?

But that didn't change the fact that he already did those things and felt that way.

And it was oh so very stressful to try and change things when the things are somewhat related to Alfred. Aside from stressful, it's also headache worsening… And chest squeezing and stomach churning whenever he thought about distancing himself away. And he was afraid of that…

He wanted out, but things didn't turn out the way he wanted it to…

Normally, the Briton was more of a stubborn fighter, but he never felt more like he's fighting a futile battle destined to triumph over any kind of resistance than he was feeling now. Arthur felt ready to give up trying to dodge the unnamed phenomena he experienced whenever he's around the spectacled American.

What's the use anyway? Besides, he had this inkling he'd gain more by accepting and facing it than by denying and running away.

Hi musings were interrupted as Francis heaved a sigh and ran his fingers through his silky blond hair. His face looked a bit troubled and Arthur vaguely wondered why.

Then like a dream, the look instantly vanished and smoothly replaced by a smile so different from the frown that was on Francis's face a few moments ago, Arthur couldn't recall the look no matter how hard he tried… He was left wondering if the troubled look on Francis's face even existed in the first place.

"Then that's nice, isn't it?" Francis said to him, looking down with a happy smile. A tad too happy but Arthur's eyesight was starting to blur so he can't be sure… Why was his eyesight blurring? "It's nice to see you finally opening up to other people Arthur."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Arthur mumbled, mostly to himself, but the glare he sent Francis seemed more than enough to do deliver the message.

The infuriating Frog snorted and smiled at him like he was some child who kept staining his clothes after insisting he didn't need a bib. "Only that you need to make more friends…" a moment of silence where in Arthur kept glaring at Francis before the Frenchman's smile dropped ever so slightly and he asked. "So, this student of yours, he's not too much trouble I hope?"

"A lot actually." Arthur replied, feeling more than eager to talk about his cough*charming*cough student. "He's a bit of a loudmouth and he laughs at the littlest things. He's too assertive and he thinks he can get away with anything with barely an apology and that ridiculous grin of his. He asks a lot of questions one after the other like an automatic machine gun and he expects all of them to be answered. And whenever he doesn't get his way, he wears this expression not that much different from a kicked puppy."

"He sounds like a fun kid…" Francis said, and then he pulled on a mulling face. "Very different from what I've heard about him from some of the other professors."

That piqued Arthur's interest.

"What do they say about him?" Arthur asked, unconsciously leaning nearer Francis so as to hear his reply clearer.

"Well," the Frog began uncertainly "you know that I teach third-years so I haven't really seen much of Alfred F. Jones much other than random passing in the hallways, so I don't know much about him first-hand." Francis explained, Arthur nodded for him to get on with it. "But it's kind of difficult not to have heard of the name 'Alfred F. Jones' in this university."

"He's famous?" Arthur asked. Curious-er and curious-er.

"That's one way of putting it. 'Infamous' is also another." Francis whispered, but Arthur heard it perfectly.

"Why? Are there people bad-mouthing him?" Arthur asked, sitting up straighter and making the tray of chocolates on his lap jump a bit. The first flashes of anger were starting to seep inside his foggy mind.

Francis looked at him a bit shocked, but the Frog soon recovered and answered. "Calm down Arthur." He smiled playfully before reaching down for a chocolate and stuffing it in Arthur's mouth as he was about to protest. "You should know that Mister Jones has a little… reputation around campus."

Arthur said nothing as his mouth was busy chewing sticky chocolate to form words

"Now, some people, normally students, look up at him because of his reputation." Francis continued "Other people, normally the sterner professors, aren't very fond of him because of it."

"Wharr ―" Arthur paused and swallowed the remaining chocolate inside his mouth down before beginning again "What reputation is that?"

"He's widely known for his pranks and practical jokes." Francis finally said, "Most of the time he targets the uptight professors. Just last summer he managed to lock Professor Lyon and Anders inside a broom closet for eight-some-odd hours… Of course, it was never proven that he was behind it, like how it was never proven that he did most of the pranks the other professors fall into, but nevertheless things like those always come back to be pinned on his name. He just grins and neither denies nor confirms it. Not even Ivan can make him confess into anything."

Arthur didn't quite know how to take the news… "So, he's a… prankster."

"_Oui,_ or at least he's known to be one." Francis replied.

"And he's fond of picking on professors?"

"There was that time the drinking fountain by the third-floor corridor sprayed water to every student who tried to use it, but it's more likely for professors like Sir Carlson or Ma'am Pinestock to find their pens suddenly squirting inks."

Arthur blinked "I see…"

Arthur's mind worked again… Honestly, he had little difficulty fitting the American into the role of a student prankster. His enthusiasm and clever, yet mischievous ideas needed somewhere to go.

So it was (most likely) Alfred who locked his two predecessors inside a broom closet prior to their resignation… Whatever happened to Professor Lyon and Anders that they decided to resign in the first place?

All Arthur was told was it was due to personal reasons and putting something off for far too long. Could that something be tolerating all the pranks they've been subjected under?

If all that was true, then why was Alfred talking so much with him? Why was the supposedly notorious practical joker hanging around too much in close proximity with Arthur? Why did he seem really keen on befriending Arthur and knowing more about him?

_To gain your trust?_

Well yes, that's a viable reason… But why bother gaining Arthur's trust in the first place?

_So that you won't suspect him when he decides it's your turn to be manipulated for his entertainment._

Arthur roughly shook his head.

Where were all those thoughts coming from? Had he not seen sincerity shine ever so earnestly in his student's blue eyes more than a couple of times before? Had Alfred not genuinely helped him out in his first predicament? Had the American not honestly made Arthur feel… well, something?

_Well then, go ahead, trust him… Fall._

But the thing about falling into complete trust is that they have the tendency to hurt. A lot. Hadn't he learnt that from his father?

Funny this little psychological drivels, they always seem to lead back to fathers.

"But as I said Arthur, those rumors are just that, rumors." Francis said from beside him, interrupting his inner thoughts yet again. He looked up to see the other blond giving him a smile. It looked just the tiniest bit of strained, but Arthur blamed his blurry eyesight for it. "You shouldn't worry too much about them… And you're always careful anyway, right?"

"Careful…" Arthur whispered slowly, letting the word sink in "right."

Arthur reached for another chocolate from the still present tray on his lap and morosely popped it inside his mouth, chewed and swallowed. He was about to reach for another when a hand covered his own and stopped him gently. Arthur looked up with another glare to the Frog seated on the arm of the chair, but his glare must've been a little rusty because it had no desired effect.

"Let go." Arthur complained, for the record he _complained_ as much how some people would've taken his complaint for a whine, it stands as that, a plain and simple complaint.

Francis shook his head, once again wearing that smile reserved for babies fond of staining their clothes. "I think you've had enough for one night _cher.._. You don't fancy getting root-canalled do you?"

Arthur quickly complied and got his hand away from the sweets. "No." He never liked going to dentist appointments much.

"Good, then finish up your water and I'll help you get to bed." Francis said cheerfully, taking away the tray from Arthur's lap and replacing the tall glass of half-empty water on the Briton's hold.

"What do you mean 'help me get to bed'?" Arthur asked before he placed the glass to his lips and drunk the rest of the refreshing liquid.

"You look sleepy." Francis said simply.

"My room is quite far from here." Arthur replied. "And I do not look sleepy." Then of course, an unbidden yawn escaped him. Curse this predictable happening.

"_Oui,_ your room is a bit of a distance from mine, and I can't have you walking that long as you are ―" Francis said and Arthur wondered what he meant with the _as you are_ comment because he was absolutely fine as he was… Absolutely. "So I'll lend you my bed for tonight."

It took two more blinks before Arthur could process what had just been said to him. "WHAT?"

"I'm feeling generous, and you are my guest after all, guest of honor even." Francis reasoned with a shrug.

"No Francis, I am NOT sleeping on your bed." Arthur said with finality.

"Fine then, but I think you'll fall off from this chair sooner or later. The floor isn't as comfortable as a bed either." Francis said and Arthur was beginning to think more about it. His eyelids were starting to get heavy and he gave in to the temptation and rubbed one of them.

"And I promise I won't do anything inappropriate." Francis said with his right hand raised and his left one over his chest, a customary stance of promise. "I won't even be there; you'll have it all to yourself."

"Oh? And where would _you_ sleep hmm?"

"I do have a third couch you know, in front of the television. I believe that was also the one Heracles slept on earlier."

Arthur thought back and realized he did see a couch settled in front of the telly. Although it was smaller than the ones Gilbert and Antonio were snoozing away on, it seemed like it would do fine for a short night's rest.

"Why not let me use that one?"

"I swear _mon cher,_ your retention of comprehension gets worse and worse." Francis said exasperated. "I said you're my guest of honor didn't I? And it's only appropriate for guests of honor to receive unparalleled hospitality. Or have you also forgotten about traditional etiquette?"

Arthur felt a growl building up in his chest. "Don't insult me." He spat.

Francis's smile turned into one of the more familiar ones Arthur had seen. Smug. "I can't resist _mon ami._ Old habit."

Arthur glared at him some more. Francis's smile widened.

"Now, up you get Arthur. I'll show you to your room for the night."

The second yawn that managed to escape Arthur's mouth made the decision for Francis to drag him up to his heavy-feeling feet.

The two blonds managed to maneuver to the door that Francis went inside of earlier when he fetched those blankets for Antonio and Gilbert. Arthur was pretty much able to stand on his own, but Francis made him sling one of his arms over the Frog's shoulders as a precaution whenever the ground turned into mush at sudden intervals.

When they reached inside, Francis did a complicated-looking maneuver of flicking on the light switch while still keeping hold of Arthur's arm. With the light turned on, the room revealed itself to be a tidy place with a nightstand and a nice looking bed next to it.

"Pretty bed." Arthur spouted to his later horror before he can help it, but at the time his mind thought it was a sensible thing to say.

"Why thank you, it's comfortable to sleep on as well."

The bed looked nothing like the standard one that was in Arthur's rooms, Francis probably got rid of his single starter bed and bought a better one. A few steps and they were near enough for Arthur to just plainly collapse on it.

Before Arthur dropped on the bed though, he saw something sticking out of the breast pocket of Francis's shirt. He eyed it but his sleepy eyes can't make it out what it was. His fingers made a split second decision to snatch it out of the Frog's pocket just before he detached his other arm from Francis's shoulder and made a fun freefall towards the previously made bed.

The thing proved itself to be a small photograph. He stared some more at it and took a few moments for him to realize he recognized it.

"I know this picture…" Arthur whispered. He looked back up to Francis with a small frown "It's from that competition against St. Willard's University right?"

In the photo, younger versions of Arthur and Francis were smiling with pride (just a hair-strand short of being haughty) at the camera. The four feet high golden trophy was standing on the floor beside them. Arthur remembered Professor Vargas looking the same as he did to this day; who served as their team's coach-slash-adviser even though the man's expertise wasn't in the Mathematics department had been the one to take this picture whilst also sporting a proud smile.

"We won that one." Francis said with a smirk.

Arthur gave a snort "Course we did! Those chaps didn't know how competitive Maths can get before they saw us."

Francis just laughed as he gently took away the photo from Arthur's fingers as the other lay on the soft mattress. "And you do fabulous in competitions don't you?"

"I didn't even know you still had a copy of that..."Arthur murmured, getting sleepier and sleepier as the seconds tic by. "I think I lost mine long ago."

Silence rang as Francis just stared down at Arthur with an expression the Briton can't decipher in his equally foggy and sleepy head. Arthur gave him a blink. Francis smiled weakly.

"They never gave us the trophy, so I kept this as a souvenir." The Frenchman said, breaking the staring event.

Arthur had to smile at that. "Better keep it from others. You wouldn't want them finding out you're attached to a trophy."

Francis sighed "No, I wouldn't want them finding out now would I?" The Frenchman walked over to the door and looked back at Arthur with another smile. "Good night then Arthur, I hope you sleep well."

Francis was about to turn the lights off and walk out of the room when something very, very important registered into Arthur's mind.

"Frog wait!" Arthur called urgently, sitting up propped on the pillows. Blue eyes turned to regard him and he felt his own shift down to look at the silk bed covers. "Erm… Well, I… I just…" He trailed off, he wasn't particularly looking forward to voicing what he just realized.

"Yes Arthur?" Francis's voice sounded from the doorway, prompting him to continue.

Arthur took a breath to steel himself.

_You can do this._

"Thankyou." The blond on the bed blurted out in such a rush the two words blended into one. Arthur felt relief after the words were out of his mouth. He needed to say this tonight while he still can because he had a strange inkling he'll forget to do so come morning.

He had a strange inkling he'd forget a _lot _of things come morning….

The prolonged silence caused Arthur to look back up, curious at Francis's lack of response… He saw the Frog regarding him with shocked blue eyes, and then the shock melted to be replaced with suspicion. Arthur felt annoyed at that. So far, Arthur had thanked every people who welcomed him and participated in the party… Francis bringing up the rear.

"What?" he snapped "Is so hard to believe I appreciate things done for my sake?" he crossed his suddenly very coordinated arms in front of his chest. "Even if you started with an ambush attack, I do realize you planned this silly welcome party for me."

Francis mumbled something under his breath Arthur didn't quite catch.

"What was that?" the green-eyed man asked.

"Nothing _mon cher._" The other replied, one hand waving in a brushing gesture. "Don't mention it. Now, get some rest, you've had quite a night."

Arthur huffed one last time before sinking back into Francis's pillows. "Yeah… G'night." He sighed feeling almost like the quilt was lulling him to sleep.

Francis switched off the lights and shut the door. Arthur allowed his eyes to finally drift close. Sleep came unsurprisingly easy to take over him…Strange, Arthur was feeling so exhausted, and a tad…well, wasted. One would think he was drowning himself in alcohol all night instead of stuffing his face full of chocolate.

Once a while, thoughts of the same blond student would appear in his head. Most of the time he was smiling, other times he was looking at him with that concern-filled stare… And then there are moments when Alfred's smile would turn mocking and his eyes would look down at him sardonically. It was in these moments that Arthur was thankful for the fog inside his head that chased his thoughts away before they could leave any lasting impressions.

At least… Arthur hoped they weren't lasting.

―X―X―X―

Alfred aimed a kick square to his opponent's chest. It was blocked. He scowled. He aimed a punch. It was dodged. He tried to swipe the other's legs. His opponent successfully jumped over and stood his ground. He tried another kick. His leg was caught and he got twisted over. The next thing he knew he was sprawled on his back inside the ring, staring at the ceiling of the gym.

"You okay?" A voice asked and then a hand was offered down at him.

Alfred heaved a sigh before a grin made its way across his face and he grabbed hold of the hand and pulled himself up with the help.

"Yeah, thanks, I'm fine Ludwig!" Alfred assured his sparring partner "But I think I need to take five for now."

"I think so too." Ludwig agreed, leading the way out of the boxing ring. "You're suck more than usual." He added with a little smirk.

"Oh ha-ha…"Alfred replied flatly, taking a towel from his gym bag to wipe the sweat away from his eyes, then letting the white cloth hang on his bare shoulders. He was about to look around the bench for his glasses when they were suddenly presented to him by Ludwig. "Thanks." He said and accepted his spectacles.

There was silence between the two friends, filled only by the noises the other active members of the Kick Boxing (KB for short) club doing their drills and sparring with some other members. It was unexpectedly broken by the non-talkative German.

"Is there something wrong Alfred?"

Well that one's a shocker. How many people have been asking him that since yesterday?

"I'm fine." Alfred answered with a smile. "Just because I get creamed by you doesn't mean anything's wrong with me. You need to win some sparring games sometime too."

"I heard from Kiku you've been having some problems. And my roommate seconded the motion." Ludwig said, before taking a drink from his water bottle.

"Yong Soo ratted on me? And the three of you are ganging up on me… Now that's just unfair." Alfred complained, sinking further into the bench.

"You should be thankful Feliciano hasn't heard about it yet." Ludwig said capping back his bottle.

Alfred sighed heavily "Please don't tell the guy. I'll be drowned in 'cheer-up' pasta and hand-drawn cards."

"We're just… concerned about you Al." Ludwig said sitting down beside the spectacled blond. "We're not used to seeing you so distracted…or down."

Alfred looked at his friend beside him and realized how hard it must be for Ludwig to say these kind of…sentimental things. The German isn't known for being in touch with his inner feelings. They have Feliciano for that sort of thing.

"Look, I'm sorry about making you guys worry okay?" Alfred said, the nagging guilt making him feel worse. "I just can't help feeling a bit down right now."

"That's what I don't get Alfred." Ludwig replied.

"Huh?" the American asked, raising a confused eyebrow.

"Why you're feeling down… I mean, I know you to be a spontaneous person, always finding instant solutions to whatever problems are in your way." Ludwig answered. "I just find it hard to believe that you've been in this little slump for the second day now and still haven't tried at least seven different solutions already… I mean, what's so different about this one?"

That left Alfred blinking… Besides the shock from hearing Ludwig, _Ludwig _of all people talk so much about what they thought of Alfred's personality, it surprised Alfred how… accurate it sounded, and it led him to ask himself the same question.

_Why haven't you done anything yet stupid?_

It hit him like an epiphany… Harder than any blow he'd received from his two years of being a member of the KB club.

Sure he didn't know exactly what it was about Professor Kirkland that affects him so much. Sure he was just a student and it might be seen as intrusive if he insisted on getting closer to his professor. Sure his last encounter with the educator went bad, leading to his mini depression…

But so what? All he knew was that he didn't want things to stay as they were. He had to take steps to move things forward. He wanted those green eyes smiling back at him. He wanted to hear Arthur laugh like he wasn't worrying about anything. He wanted to know more about Arthur, everything about him if he could.

It meant that he had so many things to work through. He was going to have to get busy…

Abruptly, he stood up from the benches, startling his friend by his sudden movement.

"Alfred?" Ludwig said slowly. The determined light in Alfred's eyes must've looked a bit weird to him. Alfred turned to him and suddenly grabbed his hands in both his own

"I can't thank you enough Lu-lu!" Alfred exclaimed, thinking he could kiss Ludwig if he wasn't so sure Feli could turn murderous and seek out revenge.

"Uhm… you're welcome?" Ludwig said uncertain, wriggling his hands out of Alfred's hold. The tape wounded around them unraveling slightly.

Alfred grabbed his shirt and placed it over his head, putting it on in a hurry. He barely pulled the shirt all the way down to cover his chiseled abdomen when he reached down for his gym bag and started running through the gym to the shower room.

"Where are you going?" Ludwig called after the American. "Practice isn't over yet!"

Alfred kept on running. After he took a shower and changed, he'd start putting his plan into action immediately.

"I have other more important things to do!" Alfred replied, finally feeling a genuine smile appearing on his face since yesterday afternoon.

Alfred hurriedly scrubbed and washed the sweat away. Absently outlining a rough draft of a 'to do' list inside his head.

_Number one: first and foremost, go find prof and give him a smile…_

So far, it was promising to be a great pursuit.

tbc

* * *

Xai's Corner: Okay, that was loooooooong…. I wanted to make up for my past shortcomings so I decided to go all out on this. I also apologize for the lack of Alfred/Arthur moments, but know that they are well on their way. Say, maybe like next chapter? Tee-hee.

And in case no one's noticed it yet, I find GilbertxVash absolutely adorable! And I'm fond of playing around with the pairings. So expect a bit of tangles… I'll do my best to do it justice.

Being the shameless (lazy, late, mistake-prone) author that I am, I once again ask you awesome people to leave reviews. They help inspire me, believe it or not. :3

Translations: (please correct me if I'm wrong. I tend to be a lot.)

_Mon ami/__ mes ami__s__ -_French "My friend"/"My friends"

_Mon cher- _French "My dear"

_Je suis désolé- _French "I apologize"

_il n'est pire sourd que celui qui ne veut pas entendre- _French proverb, idiomatic translation: "There is none so deaf as he who will not hear."

_mon cheri- _French "my darling"

_triste, tan muy triste_- Spanish "sad, so very sad"

_pero –_Spanish "but"

_!Pero seguía siendo tan estúpido!_-Spanish "But I was still so stupid!"

_Mein Gott-_German "My God"

_L'a-t-il vu?-_French "Did he see?"

* * *

Next Chapter: A chase is composed of two vital parts; a chaser and a chase-ee. Both must be fully aware of their respective roles for the chase to be successful. Just one out of two isn't good enough… or is it?


	7. On Your Mark

Author's Note: Hi… Can you believe it? I'm updating! Yay? Ehem… Yay! You're probably wondering why this took so long… Life happened, the holidays was barely a time for rest. And then my college had multiple events hosted, we were busy making paper alligator clip hats and op amps headdresses for our campus parade… We looked like dorks, happy dorks, crazy happy dorks. They wouldn't let me burn the pictures.

We're moving forward, slowly, but surely… Another chapter and we'll be done with the first (sort of) arch. Ehehehe. This chapter and the next one were supposed to be just one chapter, but as usual, I got carried away and it stretched… Well, it's not that new, most of the chapters I upload are long enough as two chapters. I do that to somehow make up for my snail's pace updating.

So here is the place I dedicate to thanking some of the most wonderful people in the world. To everybody who placed AK on alert, on their favorite list and even to those people just plain read it… From the bottom of my giddy heart, I thank you. You people make me smile when I wake up in mornings. I hope you continue on with your support. Hearing from you would be lovely.

**Special thanks to the following: **ImaduckQuaQua, Anglophile Prussian, Guppyvis, D.R.A.W., rainbow world, 05, alguien22792, Axxi, Ceri Siracha, IV, LupinandHarry, rae1112, brokenpassions, ZemyxDexion, and streganonazi for leaving reviews last chapter. You guys make me want to cry… I'll be leaving you replies soon. Sorry it took this long. Thanks a lot for reviewing, you have my love.

So on with the show! Haha, I hope this doesn't turn out as cheesy as I felt when I was writing it.

Oh and Warning: Some cuss words. And I think my fail attempts at sweet nothings is a given, so are the numerous grammar and spelling mistakes you may encounter.

Disclaimer: I wish I own it… But you can't always get what you want.

* * *

Answer Key

By Synxailla

Chapter Six "On Your Mark"

"_A chase is composed of two vital parts; a chaser and a chase-ee. Both must be fully aware of their respective roles for the chase to be successful. Just one out of two isn't good enough… or is it?"_

* * *

There have been peculiar speculations concerning the possible psychological effects of using red ink in marking students' papers. Some educators claim that the young learners somehow connect the red coloring with strong feelings of ill rapport their teachers may have toward them, especially if the resulting scores of the checking aren't very good. Of course many others argue that's just utter bullocks… Arthur didn't care either way.

Besides, it wasn't that particular theory that made the Mathematics professor stop and switch from using red-inked pens anyway.

Arthur had spent the last couple of minutes busy marking the papers of his students from section S-1. So far most of them turned out scoring well above average, making Arthur swell a little with pride. He arranged them into two piles, one was of those yet to be marked, and the other was of papers already checked.

The highest score so far belonged to a student named Ludwig Beilschmidt, (Arthur wondered if the surname meant any relation with Gilbert. He filed it as something to ask when he had the chance) though the paper he's currently checking was catching up fast. His green eyes flicked to the top of the page and regarded the name of the owner once more.

"Kiku… Honda." Arthur tilted his head a bit. Well that name definitely didn't sound American. The university sure had many foreign students… Then again, they had quite a few foreign staff and professors also, so maybe that balanced things out. A little variety never hurt anybody.

After Arthur finished marking Mister Honda's paper, which scored two points higher than Mister Beilschmidt's, the professor took another paper from the unchecked pile to begin examining. He had barely just read the name of the student (Feliciano Vargas), before a brown paper bag suddenly appeared on the desk, blocking his view of the exam paper he was about to check.

Arthur blinked at the paper bag innocently sitting on his desktop, like it had every right to just pop in uninvited. Then his emerald eyes trailed up and he saw a sight that was becoming a frequent one to him for the past few days.

"Hello Mister Jones. Is there anything I can help you with?" Arthur asked up to the spectacled American who was standing over at the other side of the desk, wearing his trademark jacket and flashing his usual wide (beautiful) smile.

When blue eyes flashed enthusiastically from behind glasses, Arthur had to suppress a sigh as he was compelled by some invisible force to place his pen down. He'd seen that look on those eyes before, and it usually warranted his undivided attention to just try and keep up with his student. It meant he won't be grading papers until he can get rid of Alfred…

The only problem was that some part of Arthur didn't want to drive away the hyper disturbance.

"Hello prof! How've you been since I last saw you?" Alfred asked in a lively tone.

"We've just seen each other in class a couple of minutes ago…" Arthur replied with a frown.

"Actually it was ― " the student answered, looking down his wrist to read the display of his watch "twenty-nine minutes, forty-seven seconds ago. Which I think counts as _more_ than "a couple"of minutes… Don't you agree?" He even raised two fingers on both hands to draw quotation marks in the air. "You dismissed us early because we finished the exam with time to spare remember?"

Arthur felt the unique brand of irritation Alfred can make him feel stirring again. He could've sworn the heat of his annoyance was making his cheeks red, but he fervently (futilely) prayed it wasn't.

"W-well you never answered my question. What business do you have here anyway?" Arthur said hurriedly, trying to shift away the subject from instances that would prove him wrong and Alfred right. "And how do you manage to keep sneaking in without any kind of noise?" he demanded.

Arthur was one hundred percent sure he was the only one left in the classroom after his class with section S-3 ended and the students bustled out of the room. Since then he'd spent his free time checking the latest exam papers of his other class, and he was sure he never heard the door open or anyone come in from the past minutes he spent working… And then all of a sudden, there Alfred was, standing opposite him and delivering random things, such as brown paper bags.

It was just typical of the young man to not even let Arthur have an hour to himself before finding some way of disturbing him and disrupting his work.

And then Alfred laughed… making Arthur wonder if he heard bells ringing along with it, or if he needed to visit Roderich and Elizaveta in the clinic to have his ears checked. The student gave Arthur a fond smile before he seemed to have had enough fun and started explaining himself.

"You'd be surprised how easy it is to sneak up on you when you're doing your work." Alfred said and gestured to the two stacks of papers on the professor's desk. "You get so absorbed and you give your whole attention… I envy your work." He finished wistfully.

His student's last words made Arthur blink before he had enough sense to look down and away from those all too observant eyes… Surely the young man didn't mean those last words in the way Arthur secretly hoped he did.

"Well sorry for being an easy sneaking target! If you came here to just do that, congratulations, you've succeeded, you can leave now." Arthur snapped lamely. Damn it, was there just no winning against this kid?

"As for you other question," Alfred continued, paying the lightest of smiles to Arthur's earlier protest, "I came here to deliver you lunch." he announced, lifting the paper bag he'd brought along with him.

"What?" Arthur asked, confused. Maybe he didn't hear his student quite right.

"I've been asking you to lunch since last Friday, remember? But you kept saying you can't because you had things to do and finish first before you took your break. You always end up shooing me away and that's not so fun." Alfred explained "And then I thought about it and realized I'm not so sure if you really get to eat with all the work you're doing. So I figured if you can't come to lunch with me, I just needed to deliver the food to you." He finished with a grin and shrugged.

Arthur felt his jaw drop open.

With an eager smile, Alfred gently lifted his chin and closed it for him…

It was true that ever since class resumed Friday last week, Alfred had been bouncing on the balls of his feet, asking Arthur to accompany him for lunch, and badgering him any available time. And since then, Arthur had been turning down those invitations and successfully getting away with his (mostly true) excuses… It wasn't that Arthur wanted to avoid the student. It was just that Arthur felt the strange need to be a little…careful.

He never thought Alfred Jones would go as far as to order take away just for the silly lunch to take place.

"Y-you didn't have to…" Arthur said, feeling sheepish despite himself. He tried his best not to show it. "I can take care of myself fine."

"Yeah I know," Alfred replied, brushing Arthur's disapproval away "but I wanted to make sure you're not skipping meals. It can lead to sickness you know, like appendicitis or ulcer, I looked it up!" The student said it like he was announcing he did research for a class, and was proud of it (perish the thought). "And last time you bailed on us because you weren't feeling very well and you doing that again would just… suck."

Arthur resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands in embarrassment at being reminded of the day last week when he walked out on a class for the first time in his years (three, counting his time with middle-school kids) of teaching. In the end, he had to conjure up some excuse for his students the next day, and he told them the closest thing to the truth as he could: he wasn't feeling well and suffered a headache.

Because there was no way in bloody hell that he could've tell them he walked out of the room because his new found attraction, which he had been battling against and hoping would pass away, together with his dreadful headache had overwhelmed him… He made himself not think about that at the moment. He was flushed enough as it was.

"You do know appendicitis and headaches have few to no connections with each other, don't you?" Arthur said, but made no further attempt to deny the student's offer. He looked back down and examined the paper bag on the desk, his brow furrowing in thought. "Since it doesn't have elaborate markings, I assume it's not from a fastfood restaurant…"

Alfred gave a little chuckle "Don't worry; I got the food from the place we went last time. You seemed to like their menu enough… Oh and I figured since you're from England, you'd like tea right?" and then from out of nowhere Alfred waved a lidded plastic cup punched with a red straw "So I got you iced tea!"

A string snapped.

"Don't be daft! There is a_ distinct_ difference between proper tea and those cold beverages full of sugar and artificial flavor!" Arthur leaned up and glared to better express himself. "Well I guess I shouldn't expect you to know that since you clearly filled your brains with enough over-sugar-saturated carbonated water to bubble-block most everything out."

The Briton sat back down, crossed his arms over his chest then humph-ed, far too affronted at being reminded of iced "_tea":_ that abomination daring to claim the same label as his favorite drink, to even consider what words came out of his mouth much less how he delivered them.

After a second or two filled with silence, Arthur realized he just shouted in his student's face (and insulted his terrible taste in beverage)… His student, who just went out of his way to get him lunch… His student, who was currently regarding him with shocked blue eyes…

_Aw bullocks…_

Arthur felt like someone squeezed his lungs out of air for a moment; it was hard to keep from choking in front of his student who still looked at him like he sprouted a second head… _What have you done? Bloody idiot. _

Why now? Why would his temper reel its head now when he'd been doing such a great job so far of being the perfect well-mannered professor to both his students and colleagues? What was it about Jones that hammered on his barriers and made them (consistently) collapse?

Now for sure Alfred would think the professor hated him. He'd start avoiding Arthur and stop trying to bug and talk to him more so than usual, much like he'd been doing for the past days, maybe he'd even stop talking to him all together. Arthur would be left alone in quiet to finish his work and have no more disruptions for which he'd feel the need to drop whatever he's doing to face.

It was oddly enough, a terribly sad thought… But as everything stood, he still needed to apologize for rudely shouting either way. Even if he felt like his apology would get him nowhere.

Arthur opened his mouth and was about to speak when Alfred suddenly decided to revive his habit of interrupting his professor's words, much like those incidents back during their first crash meeting.

"SERIOUSLY?" Alfred exclaimed, wide eyes looking at the plastic cup he held in his hand like seeing it for the first time. "I never knew that! I always thought this is what real tea tastes like!" Suddenly, blue eyes snapped to pin Arthur with an intense gaze. "How long have you known about it?"

"U-uhm…" was all Arthur was able to utter. _Since I dared sip iced tea…?_ Never mind that, was this a normal reaction to get from someone after rudely snapping at them? To say that Arthur was confused was a not-so-mild understatement.

Those blue eyes refused to let go of Arthur's gaze and he jumped back when the student abruptly leaned down, bringing their faces closer.

"You see what you not talking to me does, sir?" Alfred said, his voice adopting a light berating tone. "It makes me buy awful beverages for your lunch." Since when that was a big deal, Arthur didn't know.

"Erm…" Arthur uttered the second most intelligent thing of the day. He leaned back further into his chair when Alfred suddenly leaned in closer.

"You should fix things, shouldn't you, sir?" Alfred leaned closer still; seemingly unaware of Arthur's discomfort "From now on you should talk to me often to keep me from making stupid mistakes… After all you're supposed to teach me things, you're my professor, right?"

Blue eyes held emerald green for as long as it took for Arthur to remember himself and give a dazed nod, which was quite a while… Arthur didn't mean to get so absorbed in those twin pools of sky, so expectant and promising at the same time.

"I'll hold you to that…" Alfred whispered with a pleased smile, and since the two of them were so close, Arthur felt warm breath tickle his nose. The triumphant, yet somehow naughty look in the student's eyes made Arthur's thoughts stray for a moment.

He didn't know how his face could get anymore redder…

Arthur was finally allowed some breathing space when Alfred pulled back to rummage around inside his blue backpack for something. "Since I don't think you'll lay a finger on the drinks I've bought, it's a good thing I have this with me!" He announced cheerfully with his usual child-like smile, very different from the one he wore a few seconds ago.

"W-what's that?" Arthur asked, and he considered it a small victory that he can somewhat form coherent sentences so soon after…

"My water-bottle." Alfred said, and brandished a red water container with a blue half spherical lid and a built-in thick bending straw. "I usually just bring it along for water breaks during club activities, but I had this feeling I'm going to need it today so I packed it with my things this morning. Amazing how instinct can turn into instant psychic abilities, huh?"

Alfred stretched out his hand and offered Arthur the water container. The shorter blond reached out with some hesitation but took it anyway, since the younger man looked very eager and it seemed like he won't take a negative answer very well.

The Briton had to wonder as he stared at the water bottle in his hand and as Alfred prattled on about how his awesome instinct had almost always been correct… What was that all about earlier? Why didn't Jones get offended after he shouted at him? Why didn't the student react with annoyance at being insulted? Why didn't he even answer Arthur's snaps with some trace of spite?

'_Maybe he's too clueless to realize I've been less than friendly to him?'_

Arthur frowned. Could that be it? Was the reason simply because Jones was a big oblivious kid?... His green eyes flicked from the water container to the paper bag that once again sat on his desk and he felt his eyebrows drawing together in a frown. Could a totally insensible brat think about getting lunch for somebody else out of concern?

But if it was on purpose… then what was the reason?

"Prof?" Alfred said softly, and more than the loud drabble that he'd been doing earlier, that caught Arthur's attention.

"Ah, yes?" Arthur quickly set the water bottle down and looked up to regard his student.

"Are you okay?" Alfred asked, peering down at him "You kind of drifted off on me there."

"I'm absolutely fine." Arthur replied, giving a smile to add conviction to his words. A look at Alfred's expression told him his smile wasn't convincing enough. He quickly looked around for some kind of distraction. His eyes caught sight of the brown paper bag. "Seeing as you went out of your way to bring me some food, it would be a waste to just ignore it, correct?"

It would be awfully rude of Arthur to turn down this one after all the effort the American went through, after all.

That seemed to perk the student up. Arthur wondered just how badly Alfred wanted to have lunch together with him for the student to get cheered up and distracted so easily by the suggestion. Arthur just couldn't see how he could turn him down now.

"So you accept it?" Alfred asked with a smile. If the young man had a tail, Arthur believed it would've been wagging around insistently.

"W-well I couldn't possibly set a bad example and uncouthly decline such blatant munificence… So yes, I accept the offer." Arthur replied, hoping the big words would allow his intentions to stay vague enough to keep things fair... because things were definitely unclear to him about where Alfred stood.

"Yes!" Alfred exclaimed, punching the air with a victorious grin. He nudged the paper bag closer in front of Arthur. "I hope you don't mind I ordered without asking you. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing."

"Spur of the moment?" Arthur asked as he took the brown paper bag from the happy young man.

"Yeah, the idea just struck me while I was walking out the building after you said you still can't come to lunch with me." Alfred replied, his tone of voice sounding perfect for a story-telling. "Somehow I ended up walking to that cafe we went on the first day of semester and then the thought just hit me, you know?"

"You don't say…" Arthur drawled, answering the seemingly rhetorical question with an unneeded answer.

The thing was, the questions Alfred asked him lately had been everything but rhetorical; it was like the young man always wanted answers from Arthur, more so than his regular curiosity back during the first days of semester. He'd kept pestering until Arthur gave him an answer acceptable to his standards. And so, to avoid things escalating into high levels of annoying pestering, Arthur often opted to give answers when he's in the mood.

After some initial hesitation Arthur started opening the bag. Alfred continued talking…

"Uh huh, it was kind of weird 'cause I don't normally swing by there…" for a minute it looked like the student was pondering about it. Then he shook his head, and most probably, the thinking away. "Anyway, before I knew it, I was eating there and then the thought to get take-out for you hit me, but I didn't have time to run back and ask what you wanted and then run back out again, nor do I have your cellphone number, so I figured I could just order for you."

Arthur hoped the student thought enough not to have gotten him a hamburger. He frequently saw Alfred wielding those horrid cholesterol-in-buns. He needed to maybe introduce the kid to a healthier diet. Scones have a lot of fiber; well his recipe does… Arthur finished opening up the bag and the contents was revealed to be…

"A sandwich." Arthur said, taking a peek inside the bag.

"It's not a sandwich." Alfred said, wagging his pointer finger in a negative gesture. "It a turkey C_lubhouse_ sandwich!"

"Doesn't that technically still leave it as a sandwich?" Arthur replied. And here he was thinking the kid had _some_ logic…

The sandwich had been cut in two; Arthur took one half of it out the bag and examined it for any difference from normal food.

"Nuh-uh, there's a huge difference!" Alfred insisted. "It's American!" he declared proudly.

Arthur wished there was some way he could avoid looking stupid while banging his head on the desktop, but since there wasn't even a single chance of that, he decided to just cope with Alfred's stupid antics without the comfort of slamming his head on something hard… The fact that he found the antic quite adorable didn't help; it just made him want to smash his head harder.

"Uh-huh, that makes it special…" Arthur muttered with a flat stare that was slowly threatening to become a smile. He bit into the sandwich to keep it from forming.

"Alright!" came the triumphant exclamation from his hyper student, obviously taking Arthur's biting into the food as victory. "So, how is it?"

Arthur chewed and swallowed unhurriedly, even if he could feel that the younger blond was ready to burst waiting for his answer.

Call it cruel, but his mind was suddenly swimming with ideas to rile the student on tenterhooks, to somehow get back at spectacled youth for all the unease Arthur received. And since Alfred seemed so concerned about how Arthur found his sandwich…

A smirk made its way on Arthur's lips…"Needs salt."

That made Alfred jump and exclaim "I'll go get some!" before he started to dash for the door, surprising the professor. He was already halfway through the classroom before Arthur managed to call after him.

"Mister Jones, wait!"

Alfred turned and looked confusedly at his professor for a minute before his face morphed into understanding. "Oh, did you also want some ketchup with that?" he asked with a dashing smile.

It took a while for Arthur to snap himself out from admiring that cursed smile enough to remember what he had to say. "You don't have to run out to get me anything more."

"You're sure?" Alfred asked, once again bearing that (adorable) confused look from where he stood near the door. "You said it needs salt." He said gesturing to half the sandwich in Arthur's hand.

Arthur looked back at the sandwich that was in his hand. Did the kid seriously think he meant what he said? The Englishman didn't know if he should feel guilty or be exasperated… But it would be overdoing it if he let the poor kid run out and get him unneeded seasoning after all the trouble the student went through to get him lunch.

"No, there's really no need for that." Arthur said and gestured with his other hand in a brushing motion… Alfred's eyebrow rose, but the student eventually stepped away from the door and back to the desk.

"I can still go get that salt." Alfred volunteered even after he took his previous place standing on the other side of the desk. "I mean, I don't want to force you to eat a sandwich without, you know… extra salt and ketchup."

"Believe me Mister Jones, you won't be able to force me to do anything." Arthur said with a smile, if it turned out to be sort of teasing he couldn't be blamed for it. "I'm doing this on my own volition, out of gratitude to your…concern." There, Arthur sure hoped he phrased that properly as a gentleman should.

Unusual silence filled the room, which unnerved Arthur a bit because the student wasn't known for his quite tendencies… He looked up to see Alfred giving him a soft smile… How many times did the blue-eyed charming young man intend to make Arthur's heart skip a beat?

"You use big words when you lie huh?"

…Maybe as many times as he intended to make Arthur's jaw drop?

"Wh-wh-what?" Arthur would've slapped himself for stuttering so much, but he was too busy being shocked by his student's words. Was he being too transparent?

"Don't be too surprised Prof." Alfred said with a casual smile, as if he hadn't just accused his professor of lying. "I'm bound to eventually notice your tendency to favor utilizing intricate parts of your wide-ranged vocabulary whenever you get flustered." He said in an irritating tone of voice as he turned around to lean on the desk before pushing himself up to sit on it. Alfred seemed fond of sitting on surfaces not meant to be sat on.

Arthur was left speechless with wide blinking eyes. Now Alfred was just playing with him. There wasn't any way he was so blatantly obvious that Alfred could recognize it when he was flustered, or that he was (slightly) attracted to the student…right…? Because that just won't do.

When Alfred shifted his sitting position diagonally so that he could look at Arthur, the professor was crossing all his fingers and praying fervently in his head that he'd be able to keep his face free of any reaction that would further boil the hot water he landed himself in. Alfred released one of his famous chuckles at the look Arthur had on… Arthur had the sudden impulse to punch the kid square in the mouth, or kiss him, anything to shut him up.

Thankfully he didn't listen to impulse, he was sure at least one of those would get him kicked out of his teaching job.

"No need to be so stiff, Prof." Alfred said in a cheerfully offhanded manner. It irked Arthur further, the impulse to hurt-slash-kiss the American getting harder to ignore. "I learn a lot 'cause I watch and pay attention." He added and winked at the Briton… He. Bloody. _Winked. _

Oh it was _on._

"And your observations proved me a liar?" Arthur sharply asked the youth sitting on his desk. His green eyes narrowed as he practically dared the student to answer his question.

"Nope," Alfred answered, seeming not at all teetered, much to Arthur's disappointment. "My observations proved that you normally switch to using bigger words ― and since it's you; they're pretty big ― whenever you're worked up… And when a person lies, more often than not he's upset, on the inside at least."

Arthur reminded himself that he was holding half of his lunch on one hand, thus he mustn't ball his fists in anger, to avoid creating a mess and wasting acceptable food… His student couldn't have picked a worse time to start playing Nancy Drew on him. Why now when he had this irrational attraction to hide and wait out the end result of?

But the proud, impish smile on the student's face challenged Arthur further that he couldn't allow himself to back down.

"So now you're saying it wasn't your observations, but you yourself who's calling me a liar." It wasn't a question, and Arthur made sure he said it as such. He took delight in the familiar almost-panicked look that flashed on Alfred's eyes whenever the student sensed that Arthur was _more than _mildly put out.

"We-well you suddenly retracted your statement of needing salt out of the blue." Alfred protested back, slightly surprising Arthur. He was almost sure the kid would've spouted apologies about accusing him of lying. "You have to admit, it was a little bit suspicious."

"I wasn't serious!" Arthur exclaimed before he was aware of it. Alfred's defensiveness seemed to have made him defensive as well. "There's a line between a joke and a lie, and I'm positive I stayed well within the boundaries of the first one."

Arthur was back to feeling annoyed again. Honestly, Arthur was convinced Alfred should know all about jokes and their boundaries. He's a prankster after all… or so he'd heard… from… where had he heard it again?

"But I couldn't be sure you're not just saying that." Alfred answered, smile completely faded. Getting back Arthur's full attention. "For all I know you're just trying to save me the trouble of running out to fetch some salt."

"And if I am? Is there anything wrong with that?" Arthur shot back. He couldn't believe this; they were arguing about a stupid American sandwich and salt! How did it come to this?

"Nothing's wrong with it," Alfred answered back with a frown. "But whenever I want to do something, I want to do it right and see it through the end… I can't just sit by here when you think the sandwich I got you needs some salt."

"Your sense of righteousness is admirable," Arthur answered, green eyes rolling. "But as I said, there's no need for you whatsoever to run some place to fetch salt, or ketchup, or pepper ― "

Alfred suddenly jumped and sat up straighter, his face forming an expression of stunned realization. He then looked back at Arthur and said, "Pepper! That's what missing, isn't it? How could I have missed it? I knew I should've gotten that submarine sandwich instead!"

"Oh for the love of ― !" Arthur shouted, miles past exasperated, He was desperate now for this silly argument to reach its damn end. He looked up and made eye contact with his student who looked more than ready to run out and get every spice if needed be. "Look Mister Jones, and listen _well_, because I won't repeat myself anymore, alright?"

It took a while for Alfred to nod, but Arthur said nothing more and just held those blue eyes with his until his student showed him that he was paying complete attention. Arthur took a deep breath before talking after Alfred's slightly dazed nod.

"The sandwich tastes _fine_." Arthur said slowly and as clearly as he could. "It doesn't need any seasoning or extra spices… and I don't want you running around with the delusion that you need to get some. Do you understand?"

"But what if ― ?" Alfred began but Arthur cut him off.

"If you don't believe me then have a taste for yourself." Arthur said and pointedly looked at the brown paper bag where the other half of the sandwich was still inside of. Maybe cold hard evidence would finally convince the young American and put a long awaited end to this stupid annoying argument.

"Yeah, good idea Prof." Alfred agreed and Arthur almost breathed a sigh of relief. He waited to see Alfred's hand reach out for the bag and take out the other half of the sandwich.

His sigh of relief was interrupted when Arthur felt his wrist, the one holding his lunch, be gently enclosed by a larger hand; warm and smooth, albeit firm. His eyes snapped up in time with the slow tugging of his wrist towards Alfred.

Arthur could do nothing and could utter no sound. Any protest; physical or vocal never got out. He could just watch, wide-eyed and red-faced as Alfred guided his smaller hand which held the sandwich towards the student's mouth and took a bite from it, right over the part where Arthur took his first small bite of the food. The student chewed thoughtfully, eyes closed as he savored the flavors of the sandwich and jaw barely moving in a small, slow, rhythmical motion…

All the time from when Alfred was chewing, to even some more time after he swallowed, he never let go of his gentle grasp on Arthur's slighter hand and wrist. And from the solemn expression on the student's face, and the delicate way he held the professor's hand, it wasn't that strange for the action to look like a kiss on the hand from some angles...

Arthur tried very hard not to look from said angles.

Sadly, the Briton can do next to nothing about the sudden hitch in his breath, the mad pounding in his chest, and the annoying fluttering inside his stomach… Oh, and let's not forget the all-time-favorite burning of his face, which felt like it reached all the way down his neck.

After what seemed like far too long yet not nearly enough time, Alfred's eyelids fluttered open half-way and blue orbs shone through, automatically traveling downward to pin Arthur's gaze with his own. A sense of calm filled Arthur then, like somehow everything was in perfect order, like he shouldn't worry about anything simply because Alfred was…there.

Just how hard was Jones planning to make him fall?

"I guess you're right." Alfred murmured with a soft smile, his hand yet to let go. "It's absolutely perfect."

It took quite a while before Arthur's hazed mind associated the student's last comment with the sandwich they've just bitten into… What kind of idiot was he to even dare think it could've referred to something else? He snapped himself out of his stupid sappy reverie and finally had enough sense to yank his hand out of the git's hand.

"Yes, quite." Arthur managed to say before he had to clear his throat to continue. "That established I'm not lying, I hope."

When the Briton looked up to regard his student, he saw something flash in Alfred's eyes. He couldn't quite place it, and honestly, he wasn't trying to, it was quite the opposite actually. Because Arthur didn't fancy a headache so soon lest it turned out to have been a negative reaction… He also tried his best to ignore the faint tingling on the skin of his wrist which felt like phantom fingers still held it.

And then Alfred sniggered.

"Man, you really are something else aren't you?" Alfred replied, sounding a bit between amused and taken aback. But before Arthur could snap a retort, the younger man continued "Sorry about that. I got pretty carried away."

Arthur regarded the other blond skeptically, but his doubt stood no chance of lasting too long against the sincerity that shone through Alfred when he apologized… That, and his little secret crush _might_'ve made him a bit partial. Only just a bit though.

"It's fine…" Arthur said softly, concentrating on the present and getting his mind out of the gutter (gutter being that Alfred bit into his sandwich not too long ago). "I suppose my reaction was a bit intense anyway."

"Good, then we're cool." Alfred replied with yet again a happy smile.

Arthur managed a smile back, and with greater effort, managed also to take another bite from the sandwich Alfred gave him, since he figured it might've seemed offensive if he prolonged the deed further… Then he realized the situation was a bit awkward if only one of the two of them was eating while the other one just sat there and watched with way too observant eyes and a perpetual smile.

"You should have the other half." Arthur suggested after he swallowed a bit too loud than he was happy with.

"No thanks, I'm good." Alfred declined. "I already ate and I got it for you anyway."

"S-suit yourself then." Arthur snapped half-heatedly. "I'll pay you back in a bit. How much was it?"

"You don't have to. I know I kind of dumped this on you and cornered you to eat it." Alfred replied with a nonchalant shrug.

That surprised Arthur a bit… Did Alfred know from the start he wouldn't have it in him to decline offers of goodwill since he was a well-behaved gentleman?

"No I insist." Arthur said looking straight into his student's eyes. "And if you won't take money, I'll just have to pay you back with food too or something." The next time he ordered out, Arthur would get something for the young man… Or better yet, maybe he'd whip up some handmade scones himself. He took another bite of the sandwich absently while he recounted his special recipe in his head.

"You should give me your number." Alfred said abruptly.

Arthur almost choked. "E-excuse me?"

"You should give me your number." Alfred repeated, a bit slower this time, as if the problem was that Arthur didn't understand the words.

Arthur understood the words fine… What he didn't understand was the meaning behind them. There are a lot of reasons why people asked for another person's number. And one of them happens when people try their hand at, dare he think it… _flirting._

While Arthur was busy using the excuse of coughing the remnants of the food that went down his wrong pipe to avoid talking, Alfred went on and explained.

"It'll be easier to organize our next meeting if we have each other's contact number. If you insist on paying me back with food then we should go ahead and do lunch sometime…"

"Oh…" Arthur replied smartly. He thought about Alfred's explanation, and it did made sense… "O-okay." sort of anyway.

"Cool, just punch in your number here." Alfred said in delight as he pushed a cellular phone into Arthur's sandwich-free hand.

Arthur looked at the phone's display and saw the cursor was already conveniently blinking on the blank space where his number was supposed to be written. Why did Alfred seem so very eager to have his number? It wasn't as if anything would come out of it… He shook the thought away and dialed his cellphone number, before giving back the phone to the student.

Alfred took the device back with an excited look on his face. "Great! So I'll just call, or maybe text message you later." Then the student nimbly slid off the desk, turned and gave Arthur another smile.

"Sure, that would do just fine." Arthur replied almost instantly. Damn it, he needed to learn not to respond in pure affirmatives whenever the git smiled like that.

"See yah." Alfred then called from out of the blue before he started walking away…

It left Arthur blinking.

Just a moment ago the kid barged in inside his nice quiet empty classroom uninvited, and ignited all sorts of silly pointless tirades; from interrupting Arthur's checking, to giving out random lunches, insulting tea with a horrible metaphor, and arguing with him about salt, ketchup and peppers, and then all of a sudden after he got Arthur's number he's…

"Leaving already?" Arthur asked before he caught himself… Though to be honest, he was feeling a bit confused, and a little…well, hanging.

"Afraid so." Alfred turned back with a blink before answered. His face adopted a sincerely disappointed look and it almost made up for him leaving so soon. "I have Chemistry in three minutes, and I did tell you I won't be tardy again... Wouldn't want you to dislike me." He smiled, and then winked once more.

Okay,_ that_ definitelymade up for it. Arthur had to take a moment to dispel the heat threatening yet again to flow up his face. He badly needed to get used to that bloody wink, lest the git of a prat noticed and do it just to spite him.

"Ah, right." Arthur replied, remembering that Jones only had an hour of free period after their Math class. Was he really that engrossed that that he forgot about it and he lost track of time?

"So I'll be goin' ahead. Make sure you finish that sandwich… I'll contact you soon." Alfred then jogged over to the door, opened it, stepped out, turned to look over his shoulder, and with one last grin that lit up his blue eyes, shut the door close.

"…See you." Arthur murmured quietly to the closed door after some time.

The professor sighed and decided he should pick up the pace of his eating. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could go back to checking…

After Arthur finished both halves of the sandwich, he regarded the water container Jones left him with for a few moments before mustering enough sense to just go ahead and drink from it. Trying not to think Alfred's lips came into regular contact with the plastic material. With the meal finished, and throat cleared and refreshed. Arthur picked up his blue pen and continued checking Feliciano Vargas's exam paper.

There's a certain charm to using blue ink, not just the regular kind, Arthur was using a lighter shade of blue he specifically purchased from the store on a whim… How could it have been on a whim when it was said to be specific in the first place? Hm, another thing to ponder on some other time.

Arthur absently admired the way the ink decorated the paper he was checking with a vibrant hue, never mind that most of the decoration were "x" marks… and never mind that Arthur only found blue so appealing some days ago. It was by far his new favorite color anyway.

And the day looked brighter all of sudden… so yeah, never mind.

―X―X―X―

"This day can't get any more rotten."

Lovino had to hiss his frustration through gritted teeth when he heard someone call him out just after his Math class. He almost got to round the end of the corridor and flee to high hills too, but it seemed his pursuers were ready for his fast escapes. He should've known they'd eventually adapt. It had been the fourteenth time that day his club-mates had been trying to talk to him. They were bound to get better with practice.

"Wait up!" One of the three people, all of whom were girls, shrieked as they skipped over to him. "We've trying to get a hold of you since this morning."

The girls boxed him in and he was left no way out without shoving one of them out his way.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." Lovino replied in a sarcastic drawl. It was the most politeness he could manage at the time, which wasn't a big difference from his usual manners… And that was a new achievement, considering his mood was fouler than usual.

"Well you must've missed us shouting your name every time we chance upon you then." The blonde from the far left said with a giggle. She reminded Lovino a bit of his twin, which is a _bit_ more than he would've preferred.

For convenience Lovino dubbed the blonde 'Dee-dee' in his mind, or Dum-dum works too… Works much better actually.

The redhead beside the blonde who giggled gave a roll of her eyes. Lovino vaguely remembered her name was something that rhymed with Susie, or Penny, or Molly. "Look, I'll just come out and say it. We've been looking for you because we have something to tell you."

Lovino crossed his arms and tapped his foot. _'Yeah, like I didn't know that.'_ The girls looked back at him but otherwise said nothing… He counted inside his head slowly to test out his patience…

He never got to three.

"_Well?_" he all but snapped. "I thought you were going to 'just come out and say it'?" Did these girls realize how much of a contradiction they're making out of themselves?

"Gosh you're testy." The third girl with obviously unnatural raven locks and wearing a black leather jacket said. Lovino dubbed her 'Gothica'. "We won't bother you so much if you hadn't been skipping a lot of club meetings, you know."

Ah, and there it was, the mention of the dumb club, with the dumb meetings, with the numb-head bastard of a club-adviser whom Lovino wanted to chuck rotten fruit at whenever he thought about him.

"I can skip as many meetings as I want. There's nothing in the student handbook about extracurricular activities being compulsory."

"We have a handbook?" the Dee-dee, aka Dum-dum whispered, mystified. Everybody else ignored her.

"Your absences are spreading bad vibes." Gothica said, sounding like a hippie in black leather. "Professor Carriedo always seems out of it every meeting since last Friday."

"He isn't even humming under his breath when watering the daisies, and he tears up at the sight of the potted tomatoes you planted earlier the semester." Sussie-Penny-Molly or something-that-rhymed-along added.

"I should care, why?" Lovino shot back.

Deep down, maybe the Italian had been starting to feel just a bit sorry for making the Botany professor lose concentration and be a little down… But damn if he'll let himself give in so easily, without the man even exerting real effort himself of trying to get him back.

They were in a middle of a chase after all, and a chase is composed of two vital parts, a chaser and a chase-ee… For this round, Lovino had the part of the latter, since it wasn't his fault they had a fight.

It wasn't his fault… So why ever would he be the one chasing the Spaniard around to ask forgiveness and explain that he never meant it when he said that scholar who had been kind to him is better than most students. That he was nothing more than a friendly helper. And that he wasn't implying he would've preferred it if a certain Italian student were more like him?

That made perfect sense. Lovino wasn't at fault for shouting some colorful words at the Tomato Bastard and then marching off, nope, of course he wasn't.

"He keeps asking about you every minute of every session! Clearly you'll be able to cure whatever got him slumped"

"You should totally come to this afternoon's club meeting…" Gothica encouraged.

Lovino raised an eyebrow… These pig-headed girls wouldn't have bugged him for no reason other than because the numb-skull bastard asked for him… There had to be something they needed for themselves, Lovino knew the facts of life. And it's a fact that few people did nice things just for the sake of being…well, nice.

"You could even help out with our trial bud." Dee-dee aka Dum-dum suddenly piped in.

Then Lovino remembered.

These girls were the senior bio-genetics students majoring in Botanical crop yielding. And their thesis project was of a flower in the greenhouse which Professor Carriedo was practically doing more than half of the tending for… He remembered being against that too, but the Professor was too kind for his own good and reasoned that he tended a lot of plants anyway, one more won't make much difference.

Everything became clear to Lovino suddenly, these girls only wanted him to come to club meetings, so the Botany professor would be his old self again, practically doing their whole project for them… Well fat chance of that happening.

"Forget it, I'm not going!" Okay, that time, Lovino did shout. He was well overdue for one anyway. And he started seeing red at the thought of other people pushing Antonio around.

Only he had the right to do that after all.

"What?" asked Sussie-Penny-Molly looking confused.

"You heard me," Lovino answered, crossing his arms and giving one of his patented scowls. "I won't go along with your petty request just so you _leeches _wouldn't have to get off your fat _bitchy_ asses and put those manicured hands of yours into working on your own thesis project!"

The girls all gasped and gave uniform incredulous looks.

"Did you just call my tushie_ fat_?" Gothica asked, enraged, making her dyed hair look frizzier.

"Well those leather pants certainly don't help." Lovino snapped back. "You must have a lot of money to keep buying new ones after you rip 'em one after another everyday huh?"

That made Gothica turn bright red and start charging with a scream, but she was held back by both Sushi-Pansy-Murky and Dumb-dumb…

Lovino felt a bit giddy despite the fact that he pushed himself harder against the wall on impulse when Gothica made a grab for him. Normally in any kind of argument, he would be the one to snap first and result to violent reactions and incoherent shouting, but the odds of this one was looking in favor of him.

"Calm down Camille! It's no good to smack him!" Rhymes-with-a-lot-of-things shouted over her friend's shrill screams of _That was one time! I'll skin you alive you punk!_ And the like…

"Cindy's right, his grandfather might get mad if you pick a fight with him." Dumbest-dumb-dumb reminded.

Suddenly, the giddy feeling Lovino experienced vanished, only to be replaced by a sinking feeling of dread he was far too familiar with.

The-girl-formerly-known-as-Gothica suddenly stopped struggling in her friends' hold. Her angered looks turned into startle and then a slow smirk formed on her purple-painted lips… She gave Lovino a look of triumph as she retreated back and composed herself.

"Why you're right Crisha. The Head Dean certainly won't appreciate it if his little grandkid got hit by a girl…" Camille, (formerly dubbed as Gothica) said with a mocking smile. "It must be nice being related to the head of the University huh? You get to have a fail-safe cushion to shield you every time you fuck-up. How old are you now, Lovino? Doesn't your grandfather ever get tired of cleaning up after your shit?"

Lovino had been raised with values and was taught never to hit girls… But right now he was seriously considering going against his values.

"Take that back." He whispered through his teeth. He was clenching his hands to avoid practicing violence on a gothic bitch.

"Take what back?" Camille asked sickeningly sweetly. "You know it's true, you act all high and mighty because you have your grandfather backing you up. You use your last name to buy your way around this school."

"That's not true…." Lovino had to cast his eyes down to avoid the sight of the three girls standing in front of him.

"Oh but it is." The black-haired chick continued on. "The only reason professors here acknowledge you is because you have blood relations to the top. And you let it get to your inflated head. You expect every student here to put up with you and your snappy ways because you know they can't risk pissing you off lest you come crying and tattling to Grandpa…"

"…Shut up." He snarled in whisper. His shaking knuckles turning white.

"And you know something?" Camille went on, never once paying any heed to Lovino's upset state. "I bet Professor Antonio doesn't really like you. He's just afraid you'll make his life miserable if he doesn't play along with your foolish, childish tantrums. I feel sorry for that kind man. Why did you have to take a liking to him of all people Lovino? You know he's too vulnerable to defend himself from the likes of you."

Lovino felt like he'd been stabbed.

"SHUT UP!" Lovino felt himself taking a step forward. He didn't know what else he would've said or done after that if it wasn't for the voice that cut through the next second.

"What is going on here?" A voice yelled from the other side of the corridor.

Lovino snapped his head sideways and was met with a surprisingly frightening glare of sharp green eyes. His Mathematics professor was wearing a disappointed frown and had his giant eyebrows drawn over his scary glare as he regarded the students critically.

Lovino felt a crazy impulse to run away…

"P—professor Kirkland!" The red-head girl, Cindy, was the first one among the students to snap out of shock enough to say something. The two other girls followed soon after, Gothica quickly shedding her evil smirk.

The ever vigilant keen observer in Lovino wondered why these girls seemed too familiar with the new professor when they were all fourth year students and Professor Kirkland only taught freshmen and sophomores… Was he really that popular around campus so soon after he started?

"I could hear shouting from all the way down the hall." The Englishman said, still wearing his scary scolding look. "Now, would anyone care to explain what all that commotion was about?"

Green eyes raked over the four students. When the Professor passed a look at Lovino, the young Italian quickly averted his gaze. He couldn't shake the feeling the look Professor Kirkland gave him was more…pointed, than the ones he gave the girls.

None of the students said anything.

"Fine, play it like that." The Math Professor said with a shrug. "I'll just write all of you suggestion slips for a counseling session with Councilor Braginski to straighten out your lot's issues."

Lovino paled and choked on his own spit.

"No! Please Professor don't send us there!" the blonde, Crisha, begged. Lovino silently agreed with her.

Professor Kirkland may look scary, but the feeling of fear that strike most students' hearts whenever faced with Councilor Braginski for a talk about being a delinquent was on a different level all together… Lovino only knew of one student who faced the famous councilor about behavioral issues and lived to tell the tale. He was still suspecting that Alfred Jones gets himself stoned to numb himself first before every session so he doesn't crack.

"Fine then, I won't." the professor answered back and Lovino almost deflated with relief. "But I'm going to have you, all of you, swear to never again let your arguments escalate into shouting and screaming matches that disturbs other people. This place is a place of learning, not of being at each other's throats and screaming yourselves hoarse… Am I understood?"

"…Yes professor." The three girls answered in unison. Heads all bowed and hands clasped together…

"Good. Now run along and cool your heads… And remember not to let this kind of thing happen again."

"Yes sir…" the girls answered again and proceeded on walking away without a single glance back at Lovino.

Lovino was impressed at how Professor Kirkland had played those girls like well tuned violins. Maybe he had a lot of practice before… Lovino heard from his Grandpa that the new professor had been teaching unruly middle-school kids before he went and took the job at Alexander University.

After the girls left, Lovino was left with the blond professor in a rather awkward silence… Well, at least to Lovino the silence felt awkward. Professor Kirkland was regarding him with a look, which wasn't the same as his scary angry look earlier, thankfully, but a bit unnerving all the same…

It wasn't exactly a look of expectation, more like… a look of assessment. Like the professor was looking over him and taking inventory of any damage he took from an imaginary battle… Lovino decided to break the silence.

"Uhm… Sorry about that Professor." The brunet said, still averting his eyes because of unease. "Sorry that our shouting disturbed you."

"You don't have much to apologize for Mister Vargas." Professor Kirkland replied, "Those young ladies were dealing low blows."

Lovino's eyes widened and snapped up at that comment. He looked at his Math professor in shock.

"How… How much of that did you hear, exactly?" Lovino asked.

The professor gave him a sympathetic, almost emphatic look. "Enough." He answered simply.

Lovino stared at his new professor for a moment more before he let his gaze drift down to regard his shiny loafers. He felt his head give a small nod.

"It isn't your duty to prove them wrong." Lovino heard his professor talking in front of him, his eyes still glued to his shoes. "If they refuse to see the truth then that's their problem… What you can do is to just never prove them right and continue on as you are."

Lovino looked up to see the Briton regarding him with an encouraging smile. From the look on his face and the sound of his advice, it was almost like the professor had been through what Lovino was going through… He wondered for a moment about that…

"Yes sir." Lovino answered with a small smile of his own.

His smile faltered when he heard the clicking of footsteps coming near them, and it completely dissolved when Lovino caught site of the person whom the footsteps belonged to; an old professor with beady eyes, snob nose and thin hair combed over his balding head in what he probably thought was a sophisticated way.

He had foul attitude towards both students and professors alike…. He was a veteran at the school and it wasn't really a secret that he resented not being chosen for the Head Dean's position when the last one retired. By extension, he resented Julius Vargas and everybody in good terms with the current Head Dean.

"Professor Kirkland? Do you have a moment?" The new-comer asked Lovino's Math professor in a trying-hard to be polite way.

The old man's beady eyes barely regarded Lovino with a bleak look, and the student was thankful Professor Kirkland stepped forward and covered him from the other man's view. He was in no mood to deal with any more foul people for the day.

"Yes of course Professor Kracken," Professor Kirkland answered smoothly in a voice so different from his scolding tone. This must be the British Professor's 'professional mode'. "Is there something you need from me?" the blond asked with a small smile Lovino could readily tell lacked real warmth.

"Yes, here." Kracken (fondly dubbed as 'Cranky' by people at AU behind his back) said and handed Professor Kirkland a flash drive. "The files there need to be printed and copied to supply the seniors."

Lovino started a bit at the brash order. Professor Kirkland didn't handle senior classes. Why should he be the one to take care of it? Obviously the Cranky one was just picking on the new professor simply because he was taken into Alexander University with the Head Dean's good graces.

"Which Engineering Department would need it Professor Kracken?" Professor Kirkland asked pleasantly as he pocketed the small data-storage device.

"When I said to supply the seniors, of course I was referring to the senior population of Electrical Engineering Department Professor Kirkland. What would art students do with an exam about semiconductors and amplifiers?" Cranky said with an exaggerated roll of his eyes, as if the younger professor should know what the files inside the flash drive were just by looking at it. Lovino was impressed Professor Kirkland found out it was for an Engineering Course in the first place.

"And when would you need these papers?" the blond professor asked still pleasantly polite that Lovino almost cringed.

"They should be at the faculty room before today's end." Cranky answered, wearing an expression something between constipated and a frown. Obviously disappointed that he roused no negative reaction from the younger professor, Lovino hid a smirk.

"Consider it done." Professor Kirkland said and smiled again. "And I wish you luck with your Chiropractor's appointment, your back must be killing you. A shame it tarnishes your striking posture."

Lovino choked on a laugh which was thankfully covered by Cranky's indignant exclamation.

"I beg your pardon!"

"Oh, I assumed you passed on your work to me because you had an important thing to do… And since talk of your creaking back is rampant back at the faculty room, I thought you finally filed an appointment with a professional to relieve your pain…" The blond professor said with a way too innocent blink of his green eyes.

"Because certainly, you have a very much valid reason for dumping your work on a fellow professor. You won't take chances of being pinned by false accusations and put your position in this University in jeopardy because of unfair treatment of people you have seniority over… Would you?"

Wow… that was… pretty manipulative. Lovino never really thought the British professor could be like that. The student looked away from Arthur's perfectly composed expression to check on Cranky's reaction… The old man looked worse than a wrinkled fish out of water. When the older professor finally managed to talk all that came out of his mouth was a hasty farewell.

"Well, I'll see those papers bright and early tomorrow in my desk. Good day." Cranky then turned and left with a slight blush f humiliation.

"Good day to you too Professor Kracken!" Arthur called to the other Professor's retreating back. "Feel free to ask assistance if you need it. With your supposed unstable bowel movements, it would only be normal."

Cranky fled away, pretending not to have heard anything.

"That was pretty cool… But you didn't have to agree to run that errand." Lovino commented once he was sure Cranky was well far away.

"It's fine, I felt like doing a good deed." The older man replied with a shrug. "At least he'll know not to try it again."

"You're something else professor, do you know that?" Lovino said with a good-humored smirk.

The comment made the professor smile a soft smile… A smile Lovino knew was for somebody else, somebody special. "Yes, I've been told."

Lovino found new respect for his Mathematics professor. "Thank you Professor." He said with as much reverence in his voice as he could. The older man smiled back and gave him a firm nod.

"Now run along too… You must have somewhere to be." Professor Kirkland gestured him away. "You have been terribly missed. The random sobbing of a particular someone back at the dorms and faculty room is getting to be quite infuriating."

As Lovino walked the familiar path to the greenhouse… He silently marveled at the convincing power his Mathematics professor have…

And he couldn't help but notice that the blonde professor had looked more cheerful today than the last few days… He would bet his homemade hot sauce it had something to do with that water bottle the professor placed beside his messenger bag on the professors' desk up front the classroom, and that smile he gave before Lovino thanked him was certainly connected.

He was still engrossed in his musings when he opened the glass door to the greenhouse and walked a few steps inside that he was caught unaware by the sudden tackle and hug he received from a tearing man who smelled of fresh grass and mint leaves.

"WAH! Lovi~! You finally came back! I missed you! Terribly!" Antonio shouted as he held Lovino in a near death-grip.

Lovino's first instinct was to push away the Spaniard and give him a nice long speech about how he just visited to check on his tomatoes and that it had nothing to do whatsoever with the Horticulture expert… But then again, it _had _been several days since he actually saw the man and he thought that maybe he could make an exception every once in a while…

Lovino smiled and breathed in… not making a move at shoving the man away but not opening himself up into the hug either. "Yeah… I've been told." He answered in a muffled whisper.

Later, after Antonio let him go to finally move around on his own, he was ready to hear all about the apology the older man had in store for him… Yes they were still in a chase, but sometimes, you have to cut the chase short because some people are idiots that don't fully realize their part in it.

And Lovino spent his whole free period of tending plants with a smiling Antonio… He instantly forgot about those no-name bitches, but he did remember to take the purple pot labeled 'project 021' out of the greenhouse to somewhere far, far away.

Those girls just needed to make their marks work out for themselves, by themselves… Like everybody else.

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tbc

Xai's Corner: I hoped that didn't freak anyone out. I'm only still beginning to tread the path that is fluff. Sorry for any cringes… Isn't Lovi absolutely adorable? Hehehe.

You don't' know how happy I am to have finally, _finally_ gotten this chapter finished. It's been sitting incomplete in mu files and notebook for some time now… The next chapter takes place right after this one. This would be another one of my chapters that can't be contained in a single one…

The next one pretty much have the same theme as this one, and you know what that means… More Alfie/Artie moments. XD

The next chapter should be up by the end of the month or before… Depending on how motivated I get, and how much time I can steal for my writing… Want to know a secret? Reviews motivate me. Tee-hee. Please may I have some?

P.S. Happy Valentine's day. I'm off to stuff myself with chocolates. Here, have one! *hands chocolate to reader* C:

Footnotes:

**Red ink theory**- I found this one out back from my high school English teacher who likes spouting random facts in the middle of lessons. She said there were psychological studies done that exposed the possible negative effect of using red ink in marking students' papers. Apparently it discourages the kids… But she still uses it in checking her students' papers, the hypocrite.

**Clubhouse Sandwich**- Yep, after looking it up on multiple internet sources, I found out that the Clubhouse Sandwich is indeed American. It was first made in New York I believe, or that's the theory anyway.

**Student Handbook**- I'm pretty sure most schools have this. My university does anyway. It contains a list of offenses. Defacing library books is counted as a major one.

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Next Chapter: _Don't fret if you forgot to put you best foot forward. With just the proper tools and motivation, you can make anything work properly_


	8. Get Set

Author's Note: Gah, I've been dead for some time… And I am now updating this as a zombie. I've crossed lines and joined the leagues of the undead just to scrape off time to work on finishing this chapter. I can only hope this chapter doesn't reflect my… dead-ness… Apologies are like confetti to me, I shower a lot of them to people I consider important, *showers reader with bucket-loads of confetti*. I hope you can forgive this late update.

And of course I have to thank the wonderful people who kept my baby alive while I was away! Thank you to my readers, those who've placed AK on alert, on their favorite list and to those who reviewed last chapter namely:

Liila6241, JewishLolita, RamenNoodlesXD, IV, Gosangoku, meincarrot, Lanaroolz, Ramen is Happiness, TheNinjaWangsta, xxalexisurgodxx, rae1112, Hana1225, MashednotHashed, brokenpassions, alguien22792, Axxi, Sam, LupinandHarry, summasaur, and ZemyxDexion

I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one. Please do continue on with your support. I love you people! 3

Warnings: None in particular, I guess. Though this one is monstrously long… Oh, it includes an SMS conversation. And yep, expect some grammar errors.

Disclaimer: Hetalia is not mine. I do not make money from this fanfiction. I fully appreciate that no one sues me for this.

* * *

Answer Key

By Synxailla

Chapter Seven "Get Set"

"_Don't fret if you forgot to put you best foot forward. With just the proper tools and motivation, you can make anything work properly."_

* * *

Alfred was developing a new habit.

It wasn't that different from his usual habit of twirling the pen. It also involved his hands and fingers and the way they moved in elaborate motions around an inanimate object. The only difference was that the inanimate object of Alfred's new habit was a bit more expensive than a pen, more rectangular in shape, and can light up and emit cool sounds… This inanimate object also happened to be the conventional way of wireless communication of the modern times, allowing people to send and receive calls and messages.

In other words, Alfred couldn't stop fiddling with his cellphone.

But the young American _**wasn't**_ twiddling the object around with any intent on using it to connect with someone over the airwaves, much less putting off said intent indefinitely because he was kind of anxious (read: scared shitless) of how it would go. And the previous statement was a total obese lie.

"Vee~… Alfred, is it broken?" a childlike voice sounded from beside the American. Alfred didn't have to turn to know it was Feliciano.

He knew enough about his friends to realize who was talking to him from their speech patterns… It was a handy skill to have developed. It even allows him to hold half-conversations with his friends while playing video games, not looking up from his epic pixel adventures.

"Hm?" Alfred replied, not looking up from his phone's display. He didn't quite understand what the shorter student was talking about, a minor side-effect of his amazing speech recognizing ability... What did Feliciano think was broken?

"Your phone…" came the Italian's answer. "You keep looking at it and looking all worried. Then you push some buttons and start smiling… Then you close it, then you look at it again and look worried, then you push ―."

"Okay Feliciano, I think Alfred got that he's doing a weird cycle." Ludwig said putting a hand on the brunet boy's shoulder to still him, and abruptly cutting off the Italian's loop.

Alfred colored a bit at that last comment. "IT'S NOT WEIRD!" he protested loudly, and from practice, easily ignored the bunch of other people at the corridor who looked (glared, rolled their eyes) at him because of his loud exclamation.

It most certainly wasn't weird.

So what if Alfred felt his heart clenching at random times for no reason, and instead of seeking stress relief from his usual pen-twirling stress outlet, he found his hand reaching inside his pocket for his phone and scrolling down his phonebook to catch a moment's glimpse of a particular number, and then he'd feel the clenching of his chest loosening, making it possible for a smile to form on his face…? That did not make it weird.

Okay, maybe a_ little_ strange… but that's it.

It's only just because Alfred couldn't help feeling a tiny bit nervous when thinking about what he'd say to Professor Kirkland when he finally contacts him; there were just so many possible options. Would he start with a hello? Or should he greet 'hi' instead to try for a less cliché way? The start of a conversation is crucial because… well, Alfred didn't really know why, but people say how you strike a conversation affects the outcome of the whole deal, or something like that.

_Dang it._

He should've taken that Sociology class last semester…

And he needed to think of what he'll say after the initial greeting. He wasn't so sure his professor would appreciate him calling up for no reason. He also needed to think how he'll avoid sounding like a dork. And the timing should be put in consideration as well, right? Because Alfred didn't want to put it off too long and seem that he'd taken things for granted and forgot, but also he didn't want to do it so soon he'll appear impatient or too much –he cringed at the thought- _needy_…

But… maybe seeming a bit of needy would earn him points? His professor seemed somewhat affected by some of the long faces he'd been having so far… Or was Alfred reading a little too much into things? The reading thing was a humungous feat in itself since Alfred normally _never_ bothered to read pretty much anything, much less the atmosphere or other people's reaction to it.

And upon admitting that he's a total newbie when it came to such things, it sadly wouldn't be much of a surprise if his hunches in that area turned out wrong and that he could easily end up leading himself on and then being shot down hard…

_Um, wait… lead me on… what?_

So many worries flooded his thinking, and in the midst of it all, he somehow always ended up checking his phone and scrolling down to that single unnamed number saved in his phonebook… and then without fail, the very evidence that he indeed had his professor's contact information stored and waiting, instantly made all the worries flicker away and a smile to cross his face.

The peace of mind would last for about two to three seconds before the unexplainable gnawing worry gets hold of him again.

"Fine then, we'll term it as 'unusual', would that not offend you?" Ludwig asked with a hint of a smirk, bringing Alfred back to the present.

Upon seeing Ludwig's expression, Alfred came to realize he was indeed acting a bit…unusual. There weren't many things that could get a smirking reaction from his stoic friend. You had to be really amusing for it to have any impact on the German. Ludwig was very easy to irritate, yet very, very hard to amuse.

"If you keep saying it with that expression, it just might." Alfred deadpanned a reply, and sent a flat stare over his German friend, whose smirk only twitched wider.

Being the source of Ludwig's amusement didn't sit very well with Alfred… But hey, friends let friends smirk at them once in a while, right?

The three of them; Ludwig, Feliciano, and Al himself were currently on their way back to the dorm building. They just had their last class of the day (World Literature) together with Kiku earlier, but since the Japanese boy, who seemed not contented with his regular curriculum load, enrolled in some more classes to get dumped with even more work. He still had his elective class with some higher-year students, so the three others went on ahead of him.

"I'm just glad you seem better! You've been looking sad for the past few days." Feliciano suddenly interrupted with a wide smile. "Now you've improved to looking weird!"

Hearing his cheerful friend's comment startled Alfred a bit. He always thought at least one of his friends wasn't privy to his little slump last week. Though if Feliciano of all people noticed, then he must've been pretty obvious. Of all his friends, Feliciano is the one with the least ability to read the atmosphere, Alfred always thought so, and he could even get the vouch of his friend's twin to back up his opinion… If Lovi happened to be in a tolerating mood, that is.

Alfred sent another look at Ludwig that practically screamed _"I thought you said you wouldn't tell him!"_

It was Ludwig's turn to send back a flat stare of his own which Alfred translated into: _"I didn't. You don't give Feliciano enough credit for figuring things out on his own."_

Alfred raised an eyebrow, and Ludwig replied with a defensive shrug that said _"Hey, it happens."_

"But you seem happier now…" Feliciano continued, interrupting again the non-verbal conversation of the two blonds. "Maybe happier than I've ever seen you be."

Alfred's irritation instantly deflated at that comment.

For a moment, he stopped and considered if it was true… His mind's eye suddenly remembered a flash of blinking green eyes. A smile once again graced his lips. He did feel… sort of lighter, after he left his professor's classroom earlier, bearing the fruits of his hard labor (Arthur's phone number) away with him. Aside from the times when he wasn't worrying about his to-be conversation, Alfred always felt a slight smile curving his lips.

Oh boy. Was it ever true…

"But I don't look _too _weird… right?" Alfred asked hopefully, hand already playing with his phone again.

"Not at all!" the Italian readily answered. Alfred was almost relieved. "Just weird enough."

Alfred's face fell and Ludwig gave a not-so-dry laugh.

Alfred turned and gave a dirty look to his other friend, who was still quietly sniggering. Ludwig seemed to have gotten the message. With one last snort, he schooled his features back to normal and regarded Alfred back.

"Keep on with changing your expression in intervals and staring at you phone with a goofy smile some more, and you'd stop looking weird." Ludwig advised.

"Huh?" Alfred was confused… wasn't that the very reason he was called weird in the first place?

"You'd start looking creepy." And the way it was said in Ludwig's no-nonsense voice somehow made the comment that much more irritating.

"I am _so_ going to bruise your face the next spar we have." Alfred informed his blond friend.

A loud gasp from his other friend jolted Alfred from staring down (well… up actually, just a bit though) the faintly smirking German… Really now, he should've known better than to threat Ludwig with violence in front of Feliciano. The shorter youth looked absolutely horrified and seemed about to cry any moment.

"No! I didn't mean it Feli! Ludwig was just being an ass, it was just an expression!" Alfred hurriedly explained. "If it helps, I haven't been winning against him lately… but I do plan on working on that… but I won't pound him to dust! Honest!"

"Ve! I forgot the book I borrowed from the library! It's due to day too…" Feliciano exclaimed in a whine, frantically searching his book bag and looking ready to cry. He seemed to not have heard a word of Al's hasty (crappy) explanation.

"When did you last have it?" Ludwig asked, instantly taking over the situation before the Italian panicked even further.

The way how quickly all of Ludwig's attention centered on Feliciano was impressive. Alfred thought that whenever he saw it happening, and he'd seen it happen quite a few times. Still, the extraordinary opinion Alfred had for it never faded… Especially as of late when the American felt like he was starting to _really_ understand the feeling of having one person as your sole focus.

The number of times Alfred found himself just staring into space and thinking about when he'll see his professor next was growing in an exponential rate. Not that he minded, quite the opposite really… But he didn't ponder about it too much. Unlike some people, he let nature run its course. He just kept doing what felt natural.

"Uhm… I think I still had it back in World Lit class. I was still looking at the pretty pictures of coliseums before Professor Heracles arrived." Feliciano answered with a thoughtful pout, er, frown. "I should go back and check."

"I'll come with you." Said Ludwig promptly, not so much as an offer as an account of what would happen.

"I can help look too." Alfred said, not wanting to be left out, and wanting a chance to practice his awesome heroic helping skills. He needed to polish it if he ever wanted to continue his mission of being a helpful hand to his professor.

"Thanks guys!" Feliciano answered, pout gone in place of a smile.

"Let's go." Ludwig said and took the lead. He seemed more eager than anyone to find the missing book.

_Probably because finding it would get Feliciano out of trouble…_

Alfred noticed the German had a knack of getting Feliciano out of a pinch. It took him a while to figure it out to be honest, but constantly being around someone who always came in to the rescue of another particular someone, whom the person is also regularly around of, would eventually tip anyone off of what was going on.

Alfred officially dubbed Ludwig in his head as "Feliciano's own personal hero". Maybe he'd start calling his German friend that, just to see how he'd react. And with the way Ludwig was being uncharacteristically more annoying than usual, he would've deserved a small payback… It wasn't everyday someone could make the serious sophomore blush.

_It must be nice to be someone's personal hero…_

And so back further inside the building they went… When the three of them were nearing their last class's location, they were intercepted by a yawning tall man with dark, tousled hair. The brunet was walking down the corridor, almost dragging his feet along, much like a zombie…

Alfred quickly replaced the thought with something less… undead. He wouldn't want a repeat of not being able to look under his own bed for a number of nights, like that time after he and Kiku watched a scary video.

"Ah, it's professor Karpusi!" Feliciano exclaimed and waved at the man on the other end of the hallway.

After a few blinks, the World Literature professor seemed to have woken up enough to recognize the enthusiastic boy waving over at him and the two others with him are his students. He walked over to them.

"Ah… Hello there…" The professor greeted them. "It is a nice…coincidence that...I ran in to you…here." the Greek man told them in between multiple pauses.

"Why sir, did you want something from us?" Ludwig asked, unfazed by the older man's strange speech pattern.

"Uhm… Not really." The tall brunet replied calmly… Alfred became confused. One look at Feli's face assured him he wasn't the only one.

"Oh, okay… so we'll just be goin' ahead then?" Alfred looked to his friends who nodded their reluctant affirmatives at him. "Nice running in to you too Professor Karpusi."

The three friends were about to politely side step away from their professor when the educator suddenly said;

"But I do have something I think you may find…helpful." And from out of nowhere, the Grecian produced a leather bound book.

"My book!" Feliciano exclaimed as he was handed the tome. "So I did leave it in your class."

"I found it… under a desk." Professor Karpusi handed Feliciano a leather-bound book. "It has beautiful pictures of classic buildings… Quite a few from my mother's homeland… Very lovely." He said with a wistful smile.

Alfred did know the professor to be a man of many slow words… But sometimes he couldn't help but feel his eyes were drooping close just from listening to the man's drawl. How some people manage to stay awake all throughout his lecture was a mystery to the American… He'd have to ask Ludwig and Kiku some tips on that department.

"How did you know its Feliciano's, sir?" Alfred heard Ludwig ask…

"I saw his signature… on his bookmark…" The professor answered, pointing to a piece of paper sticking out from the book Feliciano was holding.

"Hey, that's pretty clever Feli!" Alfred said and thumped his shorter friend on the back. He ignored how Feliciano would've toppled over if it wasn't for Ludwig who caught and straightened the other guy. "Without defacing library property, you've managed to leave your mark on it…though it's not permanent, but meh..."

Feliciano gave a weak laugh in reply before turning back to the professor. "Thank you for the book sir."

"You're welcome… I'll be… seeing you then." And then the professor drifted off, or rather, away…

"Well," Ludwig began, bringing the issue back on track. "Now that we found the book, let's go return it before the library closes for the day."

Alfred was about to follow when his eyes landed on his friends' walking backs… It was probably the first time he came to admire for real how nice Ludwig and Feliciano looked while walking side by side. They seemed so sure and comfortable with the person beside them, like perfect compliments... He never really fully noticed it before.

The sting of envy he felt was unexplainable, yet so vivid.

Alfred's friends took a couple more steps away before they realized that the American wasn't following them. Feliciano turned to him puzzled, and it was Ludwig's turn to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Something wrong, Al?"

"Nothing. You guys should go on without me." He answered with a shooing gesture. It somehow felt wrong to try and squeeze himself with his two friends after all the thoughts that just passed by his mind… He was feeling more like a spectator than an actual participant in their little quest the longer they dragged on.

"Ve, you aren't coming with us?" Feliciano asked, sounding a bit sad.

"I just remembered I'm kind of banned from the library for the time being." Alfred replied with a grin and shrugged. It wasn't a lie, so he shook the nonexistent guilt away.

"Why? Miss Katherine is a very nice head librarian. She wouldn't make the library off-limits to anyone."

"Not her," Alfred looked Feliciano in the eye "her brother."

It was almost impressive how quickly Alfred saw realization dawn upon his friend's amber eyes. Feliciano understood how compelling Miss Katherine's little brother could be…

"And what have you done this time to incur the great counselor's wrath?" Ludwig asked, his barely-there smirk forming again.

Alfred ticked another mark on his mental tab of the number of teeth he'd be knocking out of Ludwig's head on their next round.

"Please, I don't have to do anything exceptional to make that counselor hate my guts. It's simple philosophical logic. I exist..." Alfred placed the flat of his palm over his chest in a formal self gesture. "Therefore he hates me… It's a vice versa kind of thing you know."

Alfred chose not to mention the guidance counselor had caught him looking at Miss Katherine a little ways lower than where her pretty face was… Honestly though, can he be blamed? Even the girls had a hard time not having their eyes drifting to gaze at those racks. Some with looks of jealousy, others with, well…not so much of jealousy as bordering on drooling with dreamy looks…

"I'm sorry to hear that Alfred…" Feliciano said with genuine remorse as he hugged his book.

"Don't be, I find it a lot boring there anyway… And I only have to wait a few more days before Mr. Braginski is sated enough to not remember he asked me to stay away from the library. Torris is softening him up for me by discreetly adding extra shots of caramel in his morning coffee." Alfred flashed a smile.

"You know, I've been hearing Torris's name a lot lately." Feliciano piped with a thoughtful look, lips pursed. "Just last Friday Lovi came back to our room muttering about rotten bastards and annoying saints… I didn't really get why Torris's name was mixed up with it. I asked Lovino but he looked like he was going to cry. I gave him a hug instead."

"Whatever it was that upset your twin Feli, I doubt that Torris was behind it." Alfred replied, defending the older student. "He's a nice guy. He even offers me milk whenever I visit the counselor's office."

"Milk?" Feliciano asked, sporting a curious look while he hugged his book. "Don't people usually offer coffee in offices? All the design agencies I've been to have always done so…"

"Torris figured any kind of caffeine would only do more harm than good for people about to have a little talk with Counselor." Alfred answered with a shrug. Torris said with a weak laugh he found that out from experience. "I guess milk have calming effects?"

"I didn't know you and Torris are close." Ludwig commented. "I always thought the vice president finds you troublesome for all the extra work you make the central student council do whenever you pull some of your messier pranks."

"Hey, the messiest I got was that victory food fight in the sports complex arena. And it wasn't even on purpose!" Alfred protested. "That cheese burger slipped from my hand and just happened to land on the other team's coach's head."

"None the less, our student council had to apologize to the visiting team and offer free dry cleaning for their stained uniforms." Ludwig sounded like he was reprimanding a troublesome kid brother who's in reality, older than him. Alfred could practically hear the implied _"you should be ashamed of yourself"_ ringing in his ears.

"It was done and the other team didn't press charges. We live to see another day!"Alfred shrugged and smiled.

"Yeah! And I had fun that day too; it was like raining French fries!" Feliciano agreed. "It turned out no problem because president Feliks can talk most people into doing what he wants."

The mention of the central student council president made Alfred think of the unpredictable (often cross-dressing) older student. He always seemed to talk, _in like_, codes nowadays and Torris, the vice-president was the only one who can keep the other in check. It was unbelievable that Feliks had once been a very shy boy in some part of his past… It seemed like people can change great lengths over time.

And speaking of time…

"You two should go ahead now; there'll be a long line in the library for last minute book returns." Alfred reminded his friends.

Ludwig stole a glance at his own wristwatch and seemed to have decided that Alfred was right. The other two looked at each other and their eyes did the talking between them. A nod from Ludwig sealed the decision. A quick farewell and a wave goodbye later, found Alfred alone… With his thoughts… and the worry loop thing started over again.

The student gave a defeated sigh as he started walking back to the direction that would take him to the building's exit. It looked like it was going to be a long lonely walk…

―X―X―X―

Somehow, Alfred found the perfect distraction from the lonesome walk he was having.

After checking his phone for that unnamed number in his contacts list for the nth time that day, Alfred felt it was time he finalized his plan of what was to be 'the most awesome conversation over the phone _ever_' as he walked. He got as far as finally deciding a classic "hello" would work better than a "howdy" greeting, when he heard a dry gurgling sound of an obviously malfunctioning machine…

Alfred looked up to see that in the middle of his walk, he somehow made it in front of one of the student copy rooms where the University provided copier machines for the students to use on multiplying various papers for academic purposes. The sound must've meant one of the machines was being used and not functioning properly.

Surprisingly, he didn't remember rigging machines of any kind these past couple of weeks as he'd been busy doing other things. It came as a genuine shock to him when he realized he'd spent most of his time lately thinking and planning out things concerning only one person in particular. He'd been too busy to do anything much otherwise.

His decision of going inside and seeing if he could offer his valiant help to the person in trouble was made even before he heard the voice of the person inside the room.

"Bollocks! Why do you insist on jamming up? Little bugger!"

Alfred froze. His hand already on the knob of the door to the copy room…

He knew that gruff, irritated, melodic voice anywhere… There was no mistaking it. The person inside the room was Professor Kirkland. Alfred had to take a moment to lower the excitement that made his heart do a funny beat-skipping thing.

As quiet as humanly possible, Alfred turned the knob of the door and gently pushed it open enough to slip inside. The soft click of the door closing behind him was lost in midst of all the spitting and sputtering of the (supposedly) state-of-the-art copier and the huffs and grunts of his professor as the man waged an epic tug of war against the paper dispenser.

Alfred's feet moved almost on their own as he silently walked over to the other occupant of the room, who, upon having had his back to him and having been otherwise occupied, remained unaware of the student's presence. Alfred stopped a couple of feet from his professor, a bit impressed at himself for still remaining undetected. The smile that formed on his face since he caught sight of his professor's back from the crack of the door grew into a wide grin.

It was time to see his professor's face again.

"What 'choo doin'~?"

Alfred watched as Arthur jumped from shock and suddenly whipped around with wide eyes to pin him with a doe-in-the headlights kind of stare, giving the student another perfect opportunity to look at those amazing emerald-colored eyes. Staring at them somehow never gets old.

After absorbing the other's initial reaction, Alfred noticed that Arthur's hands were stained with black and his face had little splotches of ink too. The professor had little smudges of black ink on his cheeks and nose, which somehow only managed to make him look…cute… Like a little kid that accidentally got himself dirty from playing.

Alfred caught himself in time to stop giving out a cooing reaction and an 'aww' comment… Mostly thanks to the strange way he forgot how to breathe for a moment upon seeing the older man turn and look at him.

As soon as the professor let go of the papers he was gripping, the paper dispenser let out a _rat-tata-rat-tatat_ sound as it devoured the sheets, acting more like a paper shredder than a paper dispenser… Alfred was a bit amazed at how fast and efficiently it gobbled up the sheets. He had always been fascinated with paper shredders since he was old enough to sneak in to his father's home-office and shred random things in his father's paper shredder. He quickly learnt to bring his own papers to shred after his father complained about a missing document.

Arthur tensed once more as he looked over his shoulder to see the irreparable damage done to the already crumpled pages. The professor's shoulders slumped and let out a groan.

"Oh for the love of ―"

Alfred felt a sting of guilt at seeing the papers disappear into the mechanical mouth of the copier. He almost winced when a burp-like gurgle sounded as the last of the white sheets went into the machine… but since he was suddenly in a super giddy and elevated mood for some reason. There was no room in his feelings for much negative emotions at the moment.

"Whoops?" the student said sheepishly, followed by an unconceivable snort of laughter.

Once again, Arthur whipped around to fix him with a look. This time the professor had his eyes narrowed in a glare and his jaw locked in a grit of ire. Arthur was regarding him with flashing eyes so alight and intense. The student could almost grab hold of the professor's irked aura… Alfred heard himself swallow and felt his heart beating double-time…

The strangest thing was, it wasn't because of fear of any kind.

"YOU HAVE _GOT_ TO STOP DOING THAT!" Arthur exclaimed at him, leaning in up closer to emphasize his message.

All Alfred could do was stare back and take in those expressive green eyes, be fascinated by the way Arthur's chest heaved that much deeper from the force of his shouting, and admire the dust of pink that colored Arthur's huffed cheeks from his irritation.

"Stop doing what?" Alfred remembered to ask, a bit surprised his voice didn't sound as mesmerized as he felt.

"Sneaking up on people." Came the hissed reply.

"I don't sneak up on people." Alfred denied, unable to recall events when he snuck up on others. He usually proclaimed his presence as soon as possible when he saw his friends, calling out to them and waving.

"You frequently do so on me!" Arthur snapped, glare not quite gone.

Alfred blinked at that retort… Now that he thought about it, he did often sneak up on his professor. It wasn't like it was on purpose or anything, more like it was an automatic thing that always came to be… And the end result always ranged from entertaining, to exciting, with bouts of unusual yet pleasant tummy-flips in between. Maybe that was the reason Alfred always did it.

"You're different." Alfred found himself answering with a grin. His professor's eyes widened a flash of a moment before narrowing in a skeptic look.

"Why thank you, I feel so special." Arthur replied, and if the tone of the professor's voice wasn't a dead giveaway, the way he rolled his eyes conveyed his sarcasm clearly enough.

Alfred ignored that part.

"I like the sound of that." The younger man announced with a thoughtful smile.

The professor gave an adorable tilt of his head and regarded Alfred back with a confused look. "Eh?"

"Special" The student replied simply "It has a nice ring to it don't you think?" Alfred watched green eyes widen.

Alfred really thought the word fits perfectly. It's a nice word that could describe many, many things… And he had a wide range of feelings he couldn't quite figure out yet regarding the professor, and if he was to bestow them with a temporary name, he'd call them 'special'. It sounded right.

He left his professor doing a very good imitation of a goldfish (if goldfish can blush) and walked over to the copy machine to push the off switch and tugged at the cord to unplug it from the wall socket… The sputtering of the machine stopped and Alfred looked back and flashed a toothy smile.

"There we go, much better." Alfred said, leaning an arm atop the hunk of malfunctioning metal. The noise had been interrupting him from hearing his professor's voice properly, and that was just wrong…

Arthur turned once again to face Alfred, the Math professor crossed his arms over his chest and gave a very nice flat look.

"Oh yes, infinitely better." Arthur replied, voice sounding tight "Except for the fact I just lost my copies, everything is just perfectly dandy."

"Why didn't you use another copier? Don't you have one of those in the faculty room?"

"Why yes, why haven't I thought of that?" The professor pulled on a mulling face which turned into one of realization before beginning to rant "Ah, perhaps it had something to do with that loooooong queue before the machine there… So I thought, why not use another copier? And I made my way here, since the other copy rooms are further away from the faculty room. With some hard struggles; I managed to get that tin can working with just a small glitch as I was finishing up."

Alfred had to hide a chuckle as he recalled the tug-of-war. If that was a small glitch, he wondered what a bigger one would look like… His amusement was wiped away at his professor's next words.

"Then lo and behold, _you_ come out of nowhere and make me lose track of things, with it, my grip and all the copies I managed to painstakingly produce."

"Wow, you sound like… you're mad at me." Alfred said and couldn't help that a bit of hurt creep in his voice.

And all of a sudden, Arthur's eyes widened with what seemed like abrupt realization and his tensed posture tensed even further before it eased away with the heavy sigh the Briton released. Alfred wanted nothing more than for that dead beat expression to be wiped off his professor's face.

"I apologize about that Mister Jones." The professor once again had his eyes cast aside, a look Alfred was quickly associating with the other man being embarrassed or self-conscious. "I guess I'm a bit frazzled… I didn't mean to… you know, take it out on you." He finished with a hunch of his shoulders.

Alfred instantly felt sorry for his unintentional guilt-trip play. And here he was, planning on making a connection of some kind with the other man through valiant deeds and little lunches, to look out for him since he's new around and… because he simply wanted to. Yet all he seemed to have succeeded on doing was causing Arthur trouble.

Some hero he turned out to be.

Alfred's blue eyes drifted down and landed on the dead machine he was leaning on… And then he realized there may be a way yet to make up for his shortcomings. He hurriedly shrugged his bag off his shoulders and fumbled inside it.

"I know I have it here somewhere…" he mumbled as he continued searching his bag.

"What are you looking for?" Alfred heard his professor ask.

"Something to help out our little… situation." And with a bit more shuffling around his backpack, Alfred finally found it. "Aha!" he said as he fished out and brandished a small rectangular leather pouch.

Arthur blinked back at him. Probably wondering what the bag was for. "How exactly would that help?"

"Watch." Alfred instructed. He popped open the small button of the leather bag and opened it up. His familiar array of tools greeted them back with a reflecting gleam.

"You think you can fix it?" Arthur asked, not sounding cryptic or sarcastic for once, just genuinely curious.

"I can fix anything. With the proper tools and motivation, you can make anything work properly." Alfred declared proudly. He remembered something then faltered a bit "Well, almost anything. I once tried to fix my dad's broken car when I was a kid; I got my longest record of being grounded from that. Turned out, the car wasn't broken…"

Alfred pulled out the screw driver and proceeded to remove the screws on the side of the machine to open it up. He heard his professor stepping nearer him to watch him work. It made Alfred want to do a great job all the more.

"I have to confess," Arthur began as the student was in the middle of delving in the machinery. "For some reason, hearing your earlier story only makes me want to stop you from tinkering with university property all the more."

"Oh?" Alfred asked, not looking up from his job, his hands acquired a matching ink stain as Arthur somewhere along the way. "At least you haven't shoved me away yet. I'll take that as a good sign." At that, he looked up to the British and gave a grin.

"W-well, I figured it can't get any worse…" Arthur replied, sounding irritated but Alfred knew he wasn't, not really. "And you look like you know what you're doing."

"Yeah, I just have a way with fiddling with things I guess…" Alfred replied with a shrug. "There are times when my hands won't stop fidgeting until I can find something to dismantle or assemble."

"You also twirl your pen a lot." Arthur commented.

"Oh, you noticed?" Alfred asked and turned from his work to regard the professor beside him with a smile again. "I'm flattered you bother to give me that much attention."

Arthur once again diverted his eyes away before he mumbled. "It's just that you always sit up front. It's quite hard not to see you…" Alfred thought he looked pretty nice in bashful mode.

It made Alfred chuckle before going back to work… Of course he always sat in front of the class. He didn't want the back of the heads of his classmates to obscure his view of the professor. Arthur looked very much in-zone when he's delivering lectures. It was a sight to soak in. Alfred was always awe-struck by his professor when he's doing his thing.

For a time, Alfred continued on his work in comfortable silence with the solid presence of his professor beside him. He only stopped when he reached an area deep in the machine where it was too dark to see. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and used it as a substitute flashlight, leaving him to work one-handed as his other hand held the phone steady to shine the copier with light.

The wrench in his working hand kept slipping. It was by the third time Alfred almost lost his hold on the tool did he feel another hand take his cellphone from him to steady it and let him have two hands able to work again. Alfred turned to the man beside him with a curious look.

Arthur answered him with a light flush on his cheeks and a shooting glare. A pretty interesting combination, but not unpleasant… not unpleasant in the least. Alfred tried to say so just by giving a silent albeit wide smile, since words refused to come out of him at the time. He was far too busy containing his new-found giddiness.

"I might as well give you a hand right?" Arthur snapped to Alfred's silent gesture. "I don't want you saying I merely watched while you pull the entire work load."

Alfred snorted a laugh. His professor can be so funny at times. "Thanks." He said before going back to work. Arthur angled the light perfectly, and the professor adjusted easily with the slightest prodding. The two of them didn't even need verbal communication to function as a team. It was… pretty awesome.

Soon enough Alfred saw the main problem of the machine's paper dispenser. A small gear was missing from the conveyer system, which probably made the conveyer run backwards. Alfred tried to see if he can find the missing piece. He nudged Arthur's hand a bit to the right and the slighter hand tensed a brief moment before moving fluidly to the direction Alfred needed. Then he saw it.

"There you are, you little stinker..." but the small gear was in a tight place, Alfred had to think for a moment how to get it out. "Maybe the long-nose could reach it." He mumbled softly.

Alfred only needed to take one hand out of the machine to suddenly feel the familiar weight and cold feeling of the tool he mentioned as it landed instantly on his palm. This time Alfred was only able to smile briefly at the man beside him, before he was driven by the knowledge that he was nearing the completion of his job to hurriedly get back to work.

As he predicted, using the long-nose pliers did reach the gear in its enclosed location. Alfred only had to get it back in place and use a substitute bolt to keep it in there and the work was finished.

"Cross your fingers." Alfred whispered to Arthur before he pressed the on switch.

A whirring sound greeted the two blonds, and with baited breath, they stood and waited for something else to happen… Finally, the moving beam of light turned on and scanned the paper left on the top of the machine. A couple of seconds later, a carbon copy of the sheet came smoothly out of the paper dispenser.

"It works…" Arthur whispered by the time a second copy came to join the first one, followed soon after by a third, and a steady pace was established "It actually works!"

The professor turned to regard Alfred with a wide smile. The smile looked so unbelievably happy that the student couldn't help but grin back… Alfred always felt fulfilled whenever he fixed something, but having Arthur help him with this particular project made the feeling multiply ten-fold. He was so happy he could feel his heart madly beating in his chest and almost rising up to his throat.

"We make a pretty good team." Alfred said with a soft smile over his professor.

"What are you talking about? You did all the work." Arthur replied with an accusing smirk.

"Yeah, but I felt like I should give you some recognition anyway. I'm just that generous." Alfred teased back in good humor.

"My, what ever would I do with that over-flowing humility of yours?" Arthur said, lightly smacking the student's shoulder with a folder. "Now shut up and help me copy the rest of these."

Alfred laughed as he accepted the folder. "Right away, sir."

"We're going to need quite a few of them and I need to get them done by the end of the day." Said Arthur as the professor began sorting the pile of paper coming out of the copier.

"What are these papers for anyway?" Alfred asked as he replaced the first page with the second one to be reproduced.

"They're test questions." Arthur replied simply. Alfred almost dropped the papers he was handed.

"Test questions? You mean for exams?" Alfred asked, knowing the answer and yet wanting it not to be so.

"Yes, where else would test questions be used for in a university?"

Alfred felt his brows knitting and any trace of smile being wiped from his face.

"Professor, I'm not so sure me helping you with these is a good idea." Alfred said in a hesitant tone of voice, his blue eyes suddenly landing anywhere but the papers in his hands.

Arthur stopped his sorting at Alfred's words. The professor gave Alfred a scrutinizing look before his green eyes widened in conclusion and he sent over a weak smile.

"Of course, how rude of me to just dump this on you… I can do it myself Mister Jones. You may leave now if you want…." Arthur said with a smile Alfred was quickly beginning to dislike. It looked forced, disappointed and kind of…hurt. "Thank you for fixing the machine. See you in class."

"What? Of course I don't _want _to leave!" Alfred found himself shouting before he realized it. He got carried away. He didn't want his professor thinking he'd just bail out on him whenever Alfred feels inconvenienced…

"You…don't?"

"Of course not!" Alfred exclaimed. He wanted to help, and by joe he was going to do it! …though the current situation presented a kind of dilemma.

"Oh…" Arthur said, sounding relieved yet confused. "Then why did you say this isn't a good idea?"

"Well…" Alfred began, not so sure how to phrase what he wanted to say. He inhaled once to steel himself and tried "These are test questions, right? They're to be used in determining the grades?"

"The results of the checking would contribute to students' marks, yes." Arthur replied with a small nod and a single blink. Alfred had to get his head back on track and away from how cute the gesture looked.

"I'm a student." Alfred reminded, gesturing to himself. Arthur just looked at him like he was odd and didn't get why he pointed out the given.

"Yes, but you're not a fourth-year Electronics majoring student." Arthur contested "You wouldn't be encountering these questions in your finals. And I'm pretty certain they'll come up with new ones in the coming years so even if you decide to take up Electronics, you'll face different questions."

"Well yeah… But…" Alfred had to take a deep breath to steel himself for what he was about to say next. "How do you know I won't tell other people of what I saw? Or even sneak a copy with me? Most others would keep things like these away… from me."

Arthur looked really confused. Clearly the professor wasn't expecting Alfred to have said that… But Alfred wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he hadn't given his professor a warning and a chance to back out. Every other professor wouldn't have let him near test questions of any kind because of his… reputation.

But they were all up to date with Alfred's not-so-polished background that they take every precaution they can around the spectacled youth even if Alfred had never cheated on his life… Arthur on the other hand was only starting his first month on the job. He deserved a little bit of warning…

"Because I trust you." Said Arthur easily… way too easily that it seemed almost a slip of the tongue.

Alfred felt like the wind was knocked out of him from that comment. His eyes must've conveyed his shock because Arthur took one look at him and his green eyes adopted the same kind of surprised look. Like the professor himself was astonished by his own words… Alfred prayed to every deity there was that the other man wouldn't take those words back, even if it was just a slip.

"You…" Alfred breathed, unable to say anything else.

The problem with slips however, is that they can easily be just outcomes of unwarranted mistakes.

Arthur wasn't looking at him anymore. The professor had casted his eyes to the floor, his flaxen hair blocking his face, hiding his expression… The student didn't dare move. The thought that any sudden movements might ruin the answer for him had suddenly popped, unbidden in his mind. Alfred knew it was a groundless thought, maybe even a little stupid, but it was instinct, and he always listened to his instincts… Besides, he couldn't have moved if he tried anyway.

Finally, two minutes and an eternity later, Arthur lifted his face, looking very much sure of himself, like he had just won an argument of grand importance with a very wide lead.

"I trust you." Arthur's green eyes were alight, practically daring the student to contradict him.

Alfred blinked once, twice… And when it finally sank in, he felt his eyes softening and his lips curving into a warm smile. It felt unbelievably nice to have heard those three words. He felt as light as air, all of his worries being blown away, refreshing and warm at the same time. He didn't really know how much he wanted to hear those words until it happened.

"Thanks." And Alfred made a silent vow to himself never to let Arthur regret giving him that trust, ever.

Arthur cleared his throat with a small cough, "Yes, quite… Let's get back to work shall we?"

"Okay!"

And work they did. Their gunk stained hands moved in harmony as they cooperated in producing the copies of the test questions Arthur needed to deliver back. Alfred never thought mass producing print could be as remotely fun as that. It seemed far too soon when Arthur announced their work was done… Naturally, Alfred offered (whined until agreed with) to help Arthur haul back the pile of copies to the faculty room.

"You look like a chimney sweep." Arthur commented out of the blue when they were in the middle of walking to their destination.

"Well you, good sir, look like a little kid who'd been rolling around, playing in the dirt." Alfred answered, shifting the bunch of papers in his arms for better balance.

"I do not!" Arthur protested in a huff, making the half of the copies he was carrying crinkle a bit. "And if either of us is a kid, that part would no doubt belong to _you_." The professor said, leaning sharply towards Alfred for a moment to emphasize himself, though to the student's faint disappointment, Arthur leaned back a bit too soon.

He didn't quite get why he was disappointed by a silly thing, so he shrugged it off into a box of things to figure out later at the back of his mind. For the time being, Alfred was busy having fun.

"Yeah, because you act _waaaay _too much like an old man to play the role." Alfred replied and laughingly ducked away from the glare Arthur sent his way.

The last comment the professor gave stung a bit though… Did Arthur really see him just as a kid? Another wall he'd have to climb over presented itself. He had to show Arthur he was as much as an adult as him, or else how can the professor ever see him as an equal and be friends with him?… Alfred had to consider that factor in his future progress. For now he just wanted to savor the moment.

"You'd best be thankful I have my hands full. I would be so close to hurting you otherwise." Arthur replied and the professor didn't sound like he was kidding one bit, how cute.

"Speaking of hands, it's kind of cool how the ink in ours didn't dirty the papers." Alfred said, changing the subject just in case Arthur stepped up to his threat. "I was worried we'll smudge the copies we made."

"The ink must be quick-drying. They're normally used in copiers and printers to avoid mess." Arthur explained, quickly reverting to his teaching mode. "A while after they are applied, they can't be easily smudged or removed."

"You're saying they'll be hard to scrub off, aren't you?" And some people thought Alfred couldn't read between the lines.

Arthur gave a small shrug. "I expect so…" The professor gave a sigh and looked up over the pile on his arms and gave an uncertain look. "I apologize you have to endure all this. You didn't have to help me from start to finish."

"Don't be sorry about anything. I enjoyed helping out… And all we need to do is scrub harder to wash it off, right? It's not like we need a nuclear reaction or anything." Alfred chuckled at his own smart wit.

"I wasn't talking about the ink stains." Arthur replied, still sounding less than happy. "Not, just the stains… it's ― "

"Hey, it's fine." Alfred cut off gently, and waited until the professor looked back at him before continuing. "I wanted to."

The professor's answering soft smile was enough to make unidentified fluttering objects to flap about around in Alfred's guts.

"Thank you… I appreciate it."

His professor's voice can be delivered in tones of many arrays. Sometimes it's instructing, like when he's teaching Math. Sometimes it's an imitation of irritated, like when he's trying to shoo Alfred away. Sometimes it's sarcastic, like when he patronizes some of Al's cornier lines. Sometimes it's surprised, like when he asked how the student managed to sneak up on him all the time… And sometimes it's sweet, sincere and charming, just like then when he thanked Alfred.

Alfred was quickly beginning to like the last tone best of all… He made a mental note to make sure he'll hear it more often.

"You're welcome." Alfred replied with his own smile. "Anytime you need me."

A delightful moment happened where the two of them just stood, stared, and smiled at each other. Alfred felt like a connection of some kind was ready to grow between them, a bit more and it might've reached something…

"_Mon Dieu_, what happened to you?"

And then the moment passed, all too quickly. Alfred heard of people talking about moments shattering, but he never knew until then they were serious when they mentioned it.

Alfred looked away from his professor's green eyes to the person on the other side of the corridor. There stood professor Bonnefoy, in his perfect hair and stylish ironed clothes, looking for all the world confused and appalled at them. Behind him stood the double-doors to the faculty room… When did they get here?

"You look like you've been in a bomb explosion." Professor Bonnefoy told them after he swept his eyes once over Alfred and Arthur. "Simply awful."

Alfred begged to disagree with that. They didn't look too horrible… At least Arthur didn't. The Briton looked quite appealing despite being covered in ink and having wrinkled his clothes from struggling in a tug-of-war with a machine. Alfred never got to voice out his opinion though, because Arthur beat him to opening his mouth.

"Thank you for that wonderful comment Professor Bonnefoy," Arthur said in his dire tone of voice "but I don't recall anyone asking for your opinion."

"I was wondering why you ran off earlier. I never thought it was to make yourself look like…_that."_ The taller professor said, making his way over. "You missed Antonio's wonderful news."

It didn't escape Alfred that the other European professor had barely regarded him even though Alfred was standing right next to the Englishman. He wondered why that was… And he wondered why he didn't like Arthur being the sole focus of the other professor's attention.

"I could hazard a few guesses about what it had been." Arthur replied to the long-haired man with a knowing smirk…

"You say that like you had something to do with it." Professor Bonnefoy said, looking at Arthur with a knowing smirk of his own.

"If I did, it certainly wasn't as devious as any of your plans would've been." Arthur replied right back, like easily falling back into a familiar banter routine… Alfred felt a faint clench.

"_Mon cher_, nothing devious can be used in matters of l'amour." And then the Frenchman flicked his hair dramatically. "I assure you my methods are gentle and… pleasurable."

Arthur just answered with an eye-roll and a snort.

The intensity in the other professor's blue eyes as he looked at Arthur when he said his last words strangely made the earlier fluttering in Alfred's tummy turn into mad boiling. He covered his sudden urge to smack the Frenchman by silently gritting his teeth and hugging the pile in his arms tighter… the action made the papers give a shuffling and crinkling sound, which seemed to have snapped Arthur out of his bantering mode with the French man.

"Why yes. I forgot, how rude of me..." Arthur suddenly mumbled softly to himself, but Alfred heard it clearly. The student must have been becoming more attuned to his professor's voice than he initially thought… It bothered him somewhat though that Professor Bonnefoy also turned his attention to Arthur at that quiet mumble.

Arthur cleared his throat and shifted the papers he was holding to one arm so he could gesture between the two other male standing in the corridor with him. "Let me make introductions…"

The smile Arthur gave sated the unruly feeling in Alfred's stomach somewhat. It made him think less of smacking anyone at least.

"Mister Jones, this is Professor Francis Bonnefoy, I'm sure you've heard of him." Arthur said to Alfred regarding the Frenchman "I knew him from college, we entered the same university in Europe."

Alfred gave a nod and managed a sort of smile over the lanky professor. Arthur turned to Professor Bonnefoy to start the second half of the introductions. "Professor Bonnefoy, this is Mister Jones. He's a student of mine and ― ."

"Yes, I'm quite familiar about him." Professor Bonnefoy said with a charming smile. "He's made quite a name for himself over here, brilliant student too, or so I've heard."

Alfred didn't quite like the way the other professor never addressed him directly. But something told him it would be counterproductive to do anything about it in front of Arthur.

"Mister Jones's marks in my class so far are impressive." Arthur told the other professor; making Alfred feel giddy "He's a very well-rounded and such a helpful individual."

"Oh, isn't that nice?" Professor Bonnefoy's smile widened when he finally turned to Alfred. "Let me thank you for helping out my good friend here, Monsieur Jones. You've been awfully kind." The man then reached forward and before Alfred knew it, the pile of papers in his arms was gone. "Let me relieve you of this. You must be itching to get out of here, hm?"

"No, not really…" Alfred replied evenly.

"Please, it's quite fine. You can be on your way now…" Professor Bonnefoy said, waving his hand in the air in a brushing motion. "Besides, students are not allowed inside the faculty room anyway."

"Yes they are." Arthur piped from beside Alfred. "Students come inside all the time, like those senior girls frequenting your table claiming you to be their _"thesis adviser"_." From Arthur's tone of voice, Alfred had no trouble guessing whatever those girls' majors were, it had nothing to do with Math.

"Yes mon cher, but those little dears have appointments." Professor Bonnefoy said, turning to Arthur. "And valid reasons." He added.

Okay, Alfred knew a lost battle when he was kept being slapped on the face with it… It doesn't matter, wars are composed of many, many, many battles, and there was no way he was planning to keep on losing the next ones.

Arthur was about to protest again when Alfred spoke. "It's fine. I should be going." Alfred gave a wide reassuring smile to his professor's uncertain look. "I'll see you next time. I had fun."

"Okay! We'll be going in now then." The older of the professors quickly said. And then Arthur was being ushered inside the double doors by a smiling Frenchman and all Alfred could do was wave to him before the doors clicked shut.

It took Alfred a few more moments before he got his feet unglued to the floor to turn and walk away… But all he had to do was to think back on the time he spent helping Arthur in the copy room and walking back with his professor to bring a smile back to his face. That was fun, more fun than he thought it would be… He could get used to that.

Alfred had just turned a corner when he heard footsteps behind him jogging a bit to catch up.

"Mister Jones, wait!" Arthur's voice said, sounding closer and closer.

Alfred turned to face him instantly. "Hey prof, something wrong?"

"No, nothing… I just forgot to give you back this." Arthur turned his palm over and Alfred saw his phone resting on it.

That was odd. Before Alfred had stumbled in the copy room, he couldn't make himself part with his phone if he wanted to. What happened that he easily lost track of the little gadget enough not to realize it wasn't in his person anymore…?

Arthur took hold of the student's hand and handed him the cellphone. "Here."

Oh yeah… Arthur happened. That justified it quite nicely.

"I must've forgotten… thanks." Alfred replied, closing his hand gently over the phone, over Arthur's hand.

"You're welcome." All too soon Arthur slipped out of his hold. "I'd best get back in there, I doubt the Frog even knows where to put those papers. Thanks again for all your help." And with a final smile for the day, Arthur turned and walked away.

―X―X―X―

After Arthur shortly made his return inside the faculty room, he was aware he was wearing another smile, and he was only a bit annoyed that he could do nothing to wipe it away…

Well, that last bit proved no problem since Francis seemed more than willing to spoil his good day for him.

"Really mon cher, must you insist on disappearing every moment I turn my back?" the French was standing by Arthur's table, arms crossed over his chest and foot tapping in an irritated manner.

Arthur wanted so bad to make a crack at the other professor wearing tap dancing shoes for all the annoying clicking the footwear was making on the floor but he stopped himself. He was reminded of the other's rather rude dealing with his student earlier, and it seemed like a much more sensible thing to be irritated about the Frog about at the moment.

"What is wrong with you Francis?" Arthur hissed as he neared the other professor. "I know you act like a right wanker most of the time, but that was utterly inappropriate."

"Pardonneiz-moi?" The Frog had the audacity to act perplexed. "What in croissant's name are you talking about?"

"Don't give me that!" Arthur shot, his glare more heated than the regular ones he gave the Frog. "You practically shoved my student away!"

"Please _cher_, I did nothing of the sort." Francis said, calmer than Arthur was comfortable with.

"Yes you very well did so!" Arthur snapped, pointing a finger at his former senior. "You didn't have to usher him away so rudely like that!"

Francis remained unmoved for all the accusing Arthur was doing. His blue eyes almost seemed like hard ice when he replied "You were there, did you see me do anything so uncouth to deserve all this lashing out you are bestowing upon me?"

"I am not lashing out!" Arthur defended, irritated that Francis kept evading the real issue.

"Obviously_,_ you haven't been listening to yourself_ cher_." Francis drawled in reply, vaguely waving a hand near his ear. "Which is a remarkable feat since you are loud enough to be heard by the whole room."

That statement effectively silenced Arthur. Slowly, he let his emerald-colored eyes roam around the faculty room… Thankfully, the day have been almost over for the educators that only few have remained in the room and most of them were finishing up and getting ready to head home. The bad news was, Arthur saw that most of those left behind had indeed been gawking at him and Francis, most probably because of their (Arthur's) raised voices.

Arthur worked hard to build his professional image in this place. He couldn't afford to be seen behaving inappropriately, not while he still hasn't secured his place in this new environment yet… Arthur's lips thinned as he forced himself to calm down and stop from speaking out further. He gritted his teeth and berated himself for losing his cool like that.

"Now mon cher," Francis spoke softly, making Arthur snap his eyes back to the older professor "do you think you can stop over-reacting so we can have a conversation where I don't feel you're about to bite my head off everytime you open that little mouth of yours?"

_Over-reacting? _Arthur thought to himself for a bit… He thought he was well past the part of his adjustment period of not letting his enraged emotions into leading him into doing stupid things. Did he not make a resolve to act more composed and collected now that he'd started his new career as a professor? And he was doing splendid at keeping that little promise to himself, not even letting foul co-professors such as Cranky to affect him. He even managed to keep his not-so-friendly relationship with the Frog discreet from most of the other professors…

Until now, apparently.

"I shouldn't have raised my voice so much like that." Arthur said to the other professor, his green eyes looking away to the side. "I'm sorry."

Arthur couldn't help it if his apology sounded a bit flat… If they weren't in the faculty room with other professors, he might've just walked out on the other man and went someplace where he can collect his thoughts… He had more pressing matters to think about besides his squabble with Francis, because they argue often enough it was hardly a call for worry.

"I completely understand _mon ami_! No harm done." Francis said loudly with big smile plastered on his face. This seemed to have been the cue for the other members of the faculty to stop their gawking and get back to minding their own business.

As things resumed their usual pace and Arthur felt less and less set of eyes watching him, he was finally able to let his jaw slacken and allow some of the tension to leave his shoulders… only to have the tension come back ten-fold when he heard a pair of clapping hands from someone approaching nearby. Arthur turned around and saw a smirking Gilbert clapping away at them. On either side of the albino were Antonio and Vash. The brunet gave a smile and shrugged while the blond wore a strict, though a bit amused, expression.

"Now _that's_ entertainment." Gilbert said as he stopped his applause. "You guys should've charged for viewing tickets." He sauntered over and leaned against Francis's table.

"For a minute there I thought Arthur would start potty-mouthing you off Francis, but I guess he held it in pretty good huh?" Antonio said with a light laugh.

"It would've been more interesting that way," Gilbert remarked, easy smirk still in place. "I was actually waiting for that part, but you guys stopped before unreasonable punches flew."

"I told you we didn't need to interfere." Vash finally spoke from his place. "They worked things out on their own in the end."

"How much of it have you been watching?" Arthur directed the question at Vash, since the Brit figured the other blond would be the least likely to answer with further embarrassing things. Unfortunately someone else beat the Swiss from answering it.

"Since you said Francis acted like a wanker." Antonio announced happily. "Don't worry though. I'm pretty sure most of the others only started noticing after you shouted that you weren't lashing out."

Francis tried and failed to laugh discreetly. Arthur wanted to dig a hole and curl up inside it.

"Don't look so glum Kirk!" Gilbert hollered as he pushed away from Francis's table to make his way over to Arthur. "People need to let go and lash out sometimes! And Frenchie makes a great shock absorber doesn't he?" Okay, that made Arthur sorrier about his behavior than his flat apology.

"You only say that because I've been your constant baby-sitter whenever you're irrevocably wasted Gilbert." Francis said, joining in the conversation. Arthur took a look at the Frog and noticed that his annoyingly condescending smile was a bit wan than it usually was, making Arthur consider delivering another apology.

"Then that must mean Nanny-Francis would be busy tonight as well." Vash suddenly commented with a look that seemed trying too hard to seem uncaring.

"That's right! We're all going drinking tonight gentlemen!" Gilbert exclaimed, eyes alight with the prospect of consuming alcoholic beverages.

"Why?" Arthur asked, confused. Just last week these people at the welcome party drunk vodka to their heart's content, now they were yet again planning another bout of drinking night?

"Ask Tony, he's buying." Gilbert replied with a smile that said he knew the reason anyway. He gestured his thumb over to the Spaniard.

Arthur looked over Antonio to see the man with a smile happier than his normal ones. "To celebrate Lovi coming back to the greenhouse!"

"I keep telling him he should stop throwing drinking celebrations every single time he's forgiven." Vash murmured from beside Arthur. "But I guess it's his choice on what he wastes his paycheck on… Although it certainly wouldn't hurt him to be a bit thriftier." Arthur could only answer the accountant with a weak smile.

"Congratulations Antonio." Arthur greeted the brunet with a sincere smile. "But I'm sorry. I'm going to have to pass this one."

Arthur listened to the few seconds of silence that greeted his announcement…

"Aw, there you go again! Being a total killjoy!" Gilbert whined aloud. "That is so unawesome!"

Arthur forgone correcting Gilbert's wording (there's no such word as unawesome) in favor of giving a reply. "I couldn't go with you gents even if I wanted to. I have a mountain of work to finish for the night." Arthur wasn't quite finished contemplating if that bit was a good or bad thing.

Gilbert looked like he wouldn't give up that easily, but Antonio cut him off. "That's alright Arthur, maybe next time hm?"

"Yeah, sure." Arthur answered back easily.

"I've placed the papers on your table Arthur." Francis said, flicking a hand over the general direction of Arthur's table. "I've place a panda over it to weigh it in place."

"Thanks…" Arthur said, and after struggling a bit with himself, he added, "and, um, I really am sorry about earlier. I guess I really did over-react."

Francis looked over him for a few seconds with an unreadable expression before it melted into his usual lazy smirk. "I forgive you." he said, all high and mighty. Arthur held himself back from punching that smug face.

"Fine, if you don't want to come suite yourself." Gilbert finally conceded "I'll just tell how our awesome night will go down tomorrow." He turned to the others and said "Let's go you guys! We're wasting precious beer-drinking time!"

"Yeah, you do that." Arthur answered and was about to wave them off when he remembered something. "Oh wait just a moment Gilbert!"

"Yeah?" Gilbert turned back around to face Arthur, his expression clearly conveying how much he wanted to get going already.

"Um, I happen to have a student in one of my classes with the same last name as you." Arthur went ahead and said it. "By any chance, are you related to a Ludwig Beilschmidt?"

A shadow seemed to pass on Gilbert's face, but it went away instantly when Vash came to his side and gently nudged him. Even Antonio and Francis didn't seem too thrilled about Arthur's question.

"Yeah." Gilbert answered without a smirk. "He's my little brother." Then he turned away and walked on.

"We'll be going now, see you tomorrow _cher!"_ Francis called with a smile countering his not-so-cheerful look earlier.

_What was that about?_

Arthur shook the worry about him maybe having asked something he shouldn't have to Gilbert away. When the time came for it, he'd just have to apologize to him as well… For now he had other things to worry about. Like his mountain-load of work for example…

But what Arthur was really afraid of was that Jones really might be having more of an effect on him than he would've liked.

―X―X―X―

"Are you sure you don't need help with the dishes, Alfred-kun?"

Alfred turned from the sink and saw his roommate peeking from their kitchenette's edge He gave his friend a reassuring smile and waved at him with a sudsy hand.

"I'm fine. Go and finish that project of yours."

"I can't help feeling I'm being… unfair. It isn't your turn in dishes duty." Kiku answered, still hanging around outside the kitchenette.

"They're just dirty plates Kiku, I can handle them no problem… And don't you have a deadline to beat?"

Kiku shifted some more but eventually the other boy smiled back. "Thank you Alfred-kun. I'll be in my room if you need me… and well…" the Japanese boy hesitated again.

"Yes?" Alfred prompted. Wanting to hear what his friend had to say.

"You should probably wash you face again after you do the dishes… There's still some ink on your chin." And with a soft laugh, Kiku went and ducked inside his room.

When Alfred came back to the dorms a couple of hours ago, Kiku was already inside their rooms working on one of his projects with their supper steaming ready on the table… Kiku looked up at him and cracked a smile, asking him about how he got all the black stuff on his face and why his hands looked like they've been dipped in octopus goo (Kiku actually said squid, but Al wasn't particular with the details).

Alfred answered with a laugh that he got into some trouble with one of the copiers… And that was all he said.

As he rinsed the plates, Alfred wondered not for the first time why he hadn't told his roommate the whole story… It wasn't in his intention to lie to his friend, not really. It's just there's something about his earlier experience with his professor that made Alfred want to keep it for himself and not share with anybody.

"Does that make me… weird?" Alfred whispered to his reflection on the last of the plates he was rinsing. Soppy-Alfred gave him back an equally questioning look. "Thanks man, that was very supportive and immensely helpful." He placed the plate down along with the others on the rack to drip dry.

Done with the dishes and nothing left to do, Alfred decided to take Kiku's advice and wash his chin. And then, after washing up, (again) and being officially ink free. He went in his own bedroom and started toiling on his own academic work. As usual, he flew by them with little trouble, and in record time, he was done.

Alfred flopped on his bed and sighed a heavy, yet happy sigh… It had been a long good day. Alfred shifted his position and felt something hit his hand with the movement. He looked beside him and saw his phone… He grabbed it and started his newly developed habit of staring at a particular phone number.

To Alfred's horror, he found the number missing.

The unnamed contact in his phone was nowhere to be found. Alfred checked every memory storage place and couldn't find a match… His growing horror was about to result into full-blown panic when he started scrolling every name one by one in his contacts list, but a familiar name flashed and he caught himself.

One word typed in his phone made Alfred able to breathe properly again.

"Arthur"

There was no last name attached. It was concise, straight-forward… Alfred didn't remember placing a name on his professor's number partly because he didn't know what name to place in. 'Professor Arthur Kirkland' seemed… too much, and anything else didn't seem to fit quite right.

A quick scan at the number confirmed it indeed to be his professor's number. The question was, who placed the name there? The only time Alfred let go of his phone was when he handed it to ―…

"That sneaky chap." Alfred whispered with a fond smile. He flicked his phone up and watched it flip twice in mid-air before swiping it away before it could land on his bed. He was typing an SMS before he knew it. Fully-worded and non-shortened at that.

"Good evening Professor_._" Alfred said with a smile as he watched the same message he just typed be sent over the network.

A few moments filled with rather pronounced heartbeats later, his phone blinked and vibrated. Alfred couldn't explain the excitement he was feeling from receiving a reply from his attempt at first contact with his Math professor… and so he didn't try.

_/Good evening Mister Jones./_

Alfred's silly smile fell a bit when he remembered he indeed asked for the other's number, but he didn't remember giving the other man his own.

_/How do you know it's me?/ _Alfred typed back and sent.

_x/Other than you just practically admitted your identity with your last message?/x_

_/Haha, I walked right into that one didn't I?/_

_x/Yes. But that's fine, we all have to fall sometime./x_

_/Wow. That was… pretty enlightening. You'll make a good sheik./_

_x/Why thank you./x_

Alfred let out a soft laugh. Even in written electronic messages his professor could clearly convey sarcasm.

_/So, have you scrubbed all that ink off?/_

_x/With some work, yes. You?/x_

_/Yep, got it all out! There was that one stubborn spot on my chin, but it was no match for me in the end./_

_x/Must you make everything sound like… an adventure?/x_

_/I don't make everything sound like an adventure./_

_x/Have you heard yourself lately?/x_

That last message made Alfred internalize yet again… Sure he was the spirited type of person. But he wasn't normally as hyper as he had been lately. Then again, he never got as down as he did like that time last week… Why was he a mixture of extremes lately? He didn't remember being like that last semester… What was so different this time?

His blue eyes drifted down to his phone, to the sender's name.

Oh yeah…

_/Must be because of you. You make things different./_

For a while no reply came… and when Alfred was in the middle of typing a new message to make sure he didn't offend the other blond, his phone received a reply, and what it said was:

_x/So now we're back to you blaming me for things I know nothing of./x_

Alfred felt his chest rumble as another laugh escaped him.

_/Lighten up will you? Besides, whoever said making things different was a bad thing?/_

_x/Now look who's trying to play a good sheikh./x_

_/Haha, and I just keep on walking into your pit traps don't I sir?/_

_x/Don't be too hard on yourself. It's not like you could help it./x_

_/Yeah, I couldn't/_

_x/Not to sound boorish or anything, but might there be any other reason why you texted me?/x_

Alfred had to take a moment to flip and fiddle with his phone before he calmed down enough to compose an answer.

_/If I say I did this on a whim, would that sound… weird?/_

_x/Since when have whims been weird?/x_ Alfred breathed a sigh of relief.

_/I'll take that as a no./ _and before he received a reply he sent a message again.

_/Hey I just thought of something!/_

_x/Pray tell./x_

_/Wanna go hang out tomorrow? Finally get that lunch debt settled?/_

_x/There's no such term as 'wanna'… it's 'want to'. You're a university student, mind your grammar please/x_

_/Uhm… That didn't answer my question… did it?/ _or was Alfred getting denser by the minute?

_x/I can't./x_

No two words had ever been so disappointing to read.

_x/I'm buried to my neck in work I have to finish for the week./x_

But you know what they say, when a door closes, a window glass gets broken by a baseball…or something like that.

_/How about next week?/_ Alfred crossed his fingers as he waited for Arthur's reply.

_x/I still have Monday and Tuesday booked for the passing of preliminary exams./x_

_/Wednesday it is then!/_

_x/If that works.../x_

_/I'm glad we had this chat... So then, I'll see you tomorrow./_

_x/We don't have a class scheduled for tomorrow./x_

_/That doesn't mean we won't cross paths right? This school may be big, but it's not gigantic./_ And Alfred had a feeling his feet would somehow deliver him over to where the older man would be.

_x/Your positive attitude is simply remarkable…/x_

_/I try./_

_x/I'm sure you do… As nice as this conversation is, I'm afraid I still have work to finish up before bed. So this is good night./x_

_/Thanks for putting up with me... Good night./_

Alfred was about to place his phone on his side table, thinking the discussion was over when his cellphone lit up one more time. Alfred read the message; it took a while to decipher it. And when he finally did, he felt his blue eyes widened. He never expected the professor to have typed that in.

But as he thought about it, he was only just beginning to learn things about the other man…

He smiled once more before putting his phone beside his pillow instead. The smile lasted even after he removed his glasses and felt his eyes drift close…

"_Good night Arthur."_

It had been a good long day…

.

.

.

_x/ c: /x_

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tbc

Xai's Corner: How is everyone? It's been so long huh? Well, uhm, I haven't written in Alfred's POV for a while so I had fun doing this chapter. I hope I didn't mess anybody up and kept them in character enough. And as promised, this is the final chapter for the first arc! See? I keep _some_ of my promises!

And yep, I have bad updating issues, sorry about that… It gets worse if I don't have pick-me-ups and encouragement, so yeah, please leave this poor author some reviews.

And just so everyone's well and warned… Next chapter would be an interlude, meaning it doesn't continue the main story line… I plan on closing every arc with an interlude about some of the characters' pasts. After the interlude would be the next main chapter. So, hold on pretty please? Love you people, please keep on with your support!

On a completely irrelevant note, I just watched orphan on cable. I swear when Esther spoke in her accent I was like "Wow, Russia's putting up a standard for crazy cute adorable people." Haha! *shot*

Footnotes:

**Germany's height** is one hundred eighty (180) centimeters while America's height is one hundred seventy-seven (177) centimeters. I got this tidbit of info from shoutwiki… So technically, Al would be staring _up _at Ludwig by three centimeters.

**Long-nose-** aka Needle-nose Pliers. Possibly my most favorite tool aside from the soldering iron. But I'm a bit biased since we mostly deal with wires and small components.

**c:** - have you guessed what this is? It's a smiley. I couldn't resist. XD

* * *

Next Chapter: _Gilbert fell in love inside a police station… Surprisingly, the fact that he was high at the time had nothing to do with the falling in love part._


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